Inpatient sick children

At pediatric inpatient ward in a big hospital like a university facility, sick children are living tiring lives. They could hardly make friends there. They sure need friends to share pleasant things together and to grow together. Their parents or family members are visiting them only for a few hours late in the afternoon. In such a facility, the patient kids are always suffering from serious and/or long lasting diseases and it is inevitable that they should live in that way. 

What a pleasure it is for them to have an unusual event like having a singer visiting there! The guest sings some well known songs in solo or together with them. This is a singer named Hitoto Yoh visiting the inpatient ward at Nagoya University; the photos courtesy by Nagoya University. She has been not only a famous singer but also a poet/actress. Her bio says she has done volunteer activity for sick or handicapped children since her young days. 

Her countenance is fascinating. So are their audience children's. I was deeply moved by them all. 

I have spent several years as a resident and later a staff at two different medical school hospitals. I know it was meaningless and boring to children to spend days or weeks at the inpatient ward, where only the monitor of vital signs or respirators making beep noise endlessly at regular interval. Otherwise some crying. I could imagine what joy these children must have had at this event. In my experience, I also have played cello or string quartet with med students in the inpatient ward at such as Christmas event etc those days. I don't know how the children and their family members have enjoyed it. They have quietely listened to us then. The photos shown above have reminded me of that.

I often remember of the patients in the charge of me. I could not recall most of their names. I still own a file of resume of the patients I took care of those days. When I read them, their faces come back to my mind. I only wish they have recovered fully and are spending happy lives. Most of them must be around 40 years of age or so by now. The only defect of pediatrician as a career is that we could hardly know how the patients are spending their lives. It doesn't belong to us anyway.