Operation IPad Success!
Wyatt's Ipad
When Wyatt was inpatient a lot in 2019 getting several rounds of chemo he was gifted an iPad by his grandparent's Sunday School class. It became an invaluable tool for him and our family. It provided a communication link to the rest of his family when they couldn't visit because his immune system was so compromised. He Face Timed his 3 brothers and 1 sister all the time. He played Fortnite and Minecraft with his friends from school. He also messaged them on Messenger Kids. YouTube videos passed the time and his playlist on Apple Music was what calmed him during procedures. He kept track of his visitors locations on Life 360 as he anxiously awaited their arrivals. As a parent I was able to keep track on his test results and manage his care through the My Chart app. His iPad really became more than entertainment. It became a tool to his recovery.
What's wrong
Because of the restrictions on the children currently admitted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta the kids are only allowed one parent at their bedside and no family or siblings are allowed to visit. Playrooms sit empty, the library has restrictions, fun celebrity visitors are not allowed. All the things that the hospital tries so hard to plan to ease the burden of being inpatient has come to a grinding hault in order to help stop the spread of COVID.
what we were able to do
With the help of NASCAR drivers Michael McDowell and Brett Moffitt and many in the NASCAR community Brave Like Wyatt was able to provide children in the hospital an opportunity to reconnect to their families and friends and provide all the services that our family received from having an iPad. We were able to provide 7 individual families & the Child Life Department at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta a total of 30 iPads so that children who have to spend time in the Cardiac department or the Aflac Cancer & Blood disorders floor will have the opportunity to reconnect, learn,
revive their spirit and recover their bodies.