Hospital Update

As I wrote
yesterday, we are in Lucille Packard
Children’s Hospital (LPCH) in Palo Alto, California, where my 16-year-old
son is recovering from brain biopsy surgery. Paul is doing better today: he took a
wheelchair ride to one of the roof gardens, ate some lunch, and has taken
two walks up and down the hall outside his room. If he keeps up with this
good recovery progress, he can go home tomorrow.

Mostly we spend our day watching by Paul’s bed. From time to time, we
help him with his covers, call the nurse when some machine beeps in a
loud and agitated manner, or get Paul up to walk around again. The other family
in our room mostly speaks Spanish but we communicate well enough to share
the space. They brought in an amazing gelatin cake this morning for their
son – white gelatin with stained-glass-like insets of red, green, yellow,
and orange gelatin. Our family is celebrating my mother’s birthday this afternoon
(a little late due to Paul’s medical situation) so we will be able to share
our cake in return.

Our hospital room also shared a small religious service today.
Two women from the St. Andrew’s
Episcopal Church pastoral care team brought us the bread and wine reserve
consecrated at this morning’s
Eucharist service so that we could be part the celebration.

LPCH has a theme of sea creatures on its signage and fixtures. Chairs
are decorated with cut out starfish and turtles; octopi and rays glow from
lighted frosted glass panels set into the walls. Signs are in English, Spanish,
and Braille. I would rather that Paul not be sick but LPCH is a wonderful
place to get better.

Paul at Packard Hospital

Babar the Elephant, art at LPCH

Navajo Storyteller, art at LPCH

LPCH Octopus sign

LPCH Octopus wall window

LPCH roof garden

Photos Copyright 2009 by Katy Dickinson