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Julie Doherty opened an exam room door last week to find her cancer patient perched on a tiny couch with a plastic lap desk over her short legs, busily gluing colorful felt hearts to a piece of white paper.
“You got it all ready for me,” the 3-year-old girl greeted Doherty, who had stocked the room in advance with plenty of stickers, paper, glue and markers.
“Isn’t Julie the best?” exclaimed the patient’s mother.
The sole child life specialist in Radiation Oncology, Doherty is best at knowing exactly what toys, games and DVDs will distract young patients who come to L2 from Children’s Hospital to receive radiation therapy. DF/BWCC Radiation Oncology, the only place at BWH where children are treated, collaborates with Children’s Hospital, which does not have a radiation oncology department because few patients need it. But for those children who do, radiation is administered once or twice per day, at least four days in a row for a period of two to six weeks on average.
“We get to know each other very well,” said Doherty, who is there before and after every treatment, ready to hold a hand, offer a toy and chat about ordinary things. “Overall, I try to make it a more positive experience for patients and their families.”
She jots down all sorts of details about her patients that one typically might not find in a medical chart. She knows that one 3-year-old, for example, eagerly awaits a bag of pink cereal post-treatment. While shopping at Trader Joe’s recently, Doherty spied a cereal with pink strawberry clusters and reported it to the toddler’s mother, who appreciated the tip.
Beyond distracting children, Doherty educates them about what to expect during their treatment. “We have play doctor kits that help me explain what is going to happen in terms they understand so it’s less scary,” she said. “Sometimes their siblings also come in, and I help them understand why their brother or sister comes to the hospital.”
When a child is out of school for a long time because of cancer, Doherty goes to the patient’s classroom to answer questions from classmates and ease the transition process.
Actually, Doherty originally thought she wanted to be an elementary school teacher, but realized during college through a volunteer position at Children’s Hospital that she preferred working with children one-on-one. She attended graduate school at Wheelock College and interned at BWH, where the child life specialist position opened up around the time she received her master’s degree five years ago.
“I love my job because I get to know the families and children so well,” said Doherty, who arrived at work before 7 a.m. one morning this month to sterilize a handful of toy cars and trucks for her first patient of the day, 2-year-old Matthew.
Matthew’s face lit up when he saw the cars, helping him relax on his second morning of treatment. When he woke up from the anesthesia after radiation, Doherty was there again, holding him in a rocking chair and making him giggle as she pretended to drive the tiny cars up his leg.
“I help normalize this experience,” she said. “They’re still kids, and they still need and want to play.”