Randy's Story
Randy Lange remembers August 9, 1994 as if it were yesterday. It was the day his nine-year-old daughter, Jessica, was to have her tonsils removed at East Tennessee Children's Hospital after repeated problems with ear infections, tonsillitis, and upper respiratory infections.
"It was a day I think all we all looked forward to but at the same time we were all concerned for Jessica," says Randy. " Jessica was a tough little lady, but was struggling to understand exactly what was to happen to her once we left her side at the hospital."
While doctors and nurses assured the family that that a tonsillectomy is a "minor" procedure and that there was nothing to be feared or to worry about, the look on Jessica's face easily conveyed that there is no such thing as a "minor" procedure to a nine-year-old child.
In an effort to alleviate Jessica's concerns, Randy and Christy Lange traveled to the public library and area bookstores in an attempt to locate children's books that might be helpful to Jessica prior to her trip to the hospital.
"I found some books that on the cover might have appeared to have potential for answering these questions and make Jessica feel better—but sadly, none did," recalls Randy. " None were warm, none were uplifting, none even dealt remotely with what really happens to a child when they go into the hospital for a visit. I wondered: Don't young people have a right to know what to expect when they walk through the front doors of the hospital? Especially if it's their first visit? Children want to know: 'Is it going to hurt?' 'Are they going to take my blood or give me a shot?' 'Will I be cold?' 'Will I be asleep for the surgery?' 'When I wake up, what will I feel like?' 'Will someone be there when I wake up?'"
During this time, it became apparent to Randy that kids need to know that it's okay to be scared, and it's okay to want to have someone they love and who loves them nearby.
"It's also okay for them to know that they may experience some pain or discomfort while in the hospital, and that there will be times when they will be away from their loved ones," says Randy. "As parents, doctors and nurses, we need to deal with as many physical and emotional questions children have as we can in a way that is non-threatening and uplifting while remaining realistic."
While at the hospital that night Randy also learned some alarming facts about children and hospitals.
"I found out the night Jessica was in post-op recovery as I walked up and down the hospital hallways that every day there are thousands of kids who are dropped off at the front desk of the hospital and then left alone in the hospital for their surgery or chemo or whatever. Not because their mom or dad don't want to be there but because they simply cannot be there. They are mostly single-parent females with more than one job and more than one child to care for, if Mom leaves work she may lose her job (and her healthcare), and she has other children to take care of, so guess what? That child in the hospital will be alone without a loved one to encourage and share with and to love and sometimes just someone to hold on to, or hug, or maybe sit in their lap."
Randy thought about how difficult it was for his daughter with all her concerns and questions and fears, while having her mom and dad at her side. He was left heartbroken for the children who had no one.
"That night when I was walking the hallways I decided that I was going to do something to help those kids. Someone had to be their advocate, someone had to step up to the plate," says Randy.
Randy's goal soon became to help children tackle what he calls the "mountain of uncertainty and fear" children have when they enter a hospital. It was that long night walking the halls at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, on August 9,1994, that Randy conjured up Josh, a loveable Golden Retriever who, like so many children, would face the "mountain of uncertainty and fear" that goes with a trip to the hospital. Soon, I'll Be O.K., a 32-page illustrated book and a plush Josh puppy would be created especially for these children.
"I knew that night that if I could help it, no child would ever go into the hospital alone again," says Randy. " I believe this tool can help take kids to the top of that mountain and help them overcome their fears and anxieties by giving them a friend so they don't have to be alone in the hospital."
The story of I'll Be O.K. takes Josh through Dr. Rick's animal hospital. Josh has a physical problem that requires surgery for him to get well. In the book, Josh's buddy is Smudge, who is there to help comfort him and help him on his journey in getting well. She helps to remind Josh that he is never alone, even when he may feel like he is. The book is an "an adventure in getting well," that is uplifting and positive yet realistic while never downplaying the realities of surgery and hospitalization. Randy named the book, I'll Be O.K. because every time Josh gets scared or worried he remembers that he has the best doctors and nurses in the finest hospital, and he has his family and friends there supporting him in his recovery and that he indeed, is "going to be OK."
While researching the book, Randy interviewed doctors, nurses, psychologists, counselors, teachers, and kids so that what Josh experiences and hears is equivalent to a real hospital experience.
With such a realistic, open and warm approach to the hospital experience, Randy crafted a way for the hospital experience to become less frightening for a child. "I found out very quickly that kids don't just have a book read to them one time if they really like a book—they want it read every night! And sometimes more than once in a day!" says Randy. " So we hope that children love the book and read it often so that they will become familiar with the environment and be far more comfortable with where they are and what is taking place around them."
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