9-year-old Ryan Jasen was about to go through the ninth operation of his short life.
Due to having Down Syndrome and multiple other health issues, Ryan relies on his constant companion, Mike Wozowski, who’s actually a stuffed toy based on the Monsters Inc. character from Disney.
In an interview with TMJ4, Ryan’s dad, Tony Jansen states,
“Ryan has probably a thousand stuffed animals, but this one is his favorite.”
Mike has been at Ryan’s side through every operation, offering the type of comfort stuffed animals can give a child. That silent support that somehow instills courage and calm in the worst of situations.
If you have a child who has a favorite stuffed toy or you had one yourself, you know the kind of wear and tear they can take. Frankly, they can start looking like they need a little surgical intervention too.
Both Ryan and Mike Receive Excellent Care
If you’ve ever had surgery, you might have worried about the surgical team. Will they treat you as more than just another body? What kind of personal care are you going to get when you’re not aware and conscious?
Kudos to the team led by Dr. Travis Groth, a urologist at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
During Ryan’s surgery, Dr. Groth took note of the fact that Mike was looking the worse for wear and in need of some mending.
According to Ryan’s father,
“He saw the tear and said, ‘you know what, I can tell this is his best friend so I’m going to patch him up too.’”
And that’s exactly what he did. When he finished Ryan’s procedure, Dr. Groth and his surgical team went the extra mile. Using the same instruments he would normally use during surgery and still wearing his surgical loops—which are magnifying glasses—he fixed Mike’s broken arm, adding a few sutures and a bandaging him up.
“When I operate, I will wear surgical loops which are magnifying glasses. So I just kept those on and sewed up his arm with extra stitches,” said Dr. Groth.
And according to PEOPLE, before the surgery on the stuffed toy, Dr, Groth even went so far as to call a surgical time-out. This is a step surgeons go through before an operation where they call out and identify the patient’s name and procedure.
Back Home Recovering
Both Ryan’s and Mike’s surgeries went well, and a hospital spokesperson said they had both been released and were at home recovering.
The hospital also made a statement in a Facebook post, which says, in part:
“Our doctors, nurses, and staff go out of their way to make sure every child feels comfortable and safe,” the post reads. “Whether it’s stitching up their favorite toy or dressing up as their favorite character, we know how to make children feel better.”
As for Ryan, his dad says,
“When [Ryan] woke up, he saw his best buddy also kind of patched up and had bandages around him, so he felt like he was on the same page with him.”
This kind of thoughtfulness may seem like a small thing to the doctor’s and nurses who do them, but to young patients and their families, it means a lot.
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