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Mariana’s Place is a Treat for The Senses
Mariana’s Place, a specially designed multi-sen- Families Make Holiday Memories During the holiday season,
sory space on the th floor of West Tower, pro- First Memories Texas and
vides powerful tools to engage the senses, When a baby’s first Christmas is spent in in- volunteers took photos of
helping children cope with hospitalization and tensive care, families often miss the opportu- families and their babies’ first
creating an environment for healing. nity to mark the milestone while they’re caught Christmas in the Neonatal
up in a whir of emotions, tests and procedures. Intensive Care Unit.
Child life specialists, occupational thera-
pists and physical therapists utilize a variety This holiday season, First Memories Texas Did You Know?
of innovative modalities, including high-tech (FMT), along with a team of employees and
interactive games, projectors that display images volunteers, helped more than families with —BY THE NUMBERS—
on the floor, fiber optics and bubble tubes, to babies in Neonatal Intensive Care at the Pa-
engage patients in a number of ways. vilion for Women and West Tower create last- As one of the all-time top
ing keepsakes. Volunteers took photos of babies, donors to Texas Children’s,
“The room can help with reducing anxi- often with family members, and immediate- The Auxiliary has provided
ety, lowering pain perception, coping with a ly printed high-quality images. Then families major support to the past
long hospital stay, even relearning motor or or volunteers made cards using pre-designed five capital campaigns.
cognitive skills after traumatic brain injury,” holiday templates.
says Mary Tietjens, manager, Child Life.
“We know parents have a lot on their
Donated by the Goudet family, the room minds when babies are in the NICU,” says Shan- Building for Children
is the first of six planned for Texas Children’s non Blake, co-founder of FMT. “We wanted (-)
hospitals and health centers. to be sure they captured that precious mem-
ory of baby’s first Christmas.” ,
Karla Goudet learned of the multi-senso-
ry concept as she researched ways to help her The weekly holiday sessions helped add a Generation to Generation
daughter, Mariana, who was born with Down festive note to the setting. On one special day, (-)
syndrome and was a patient at Texas Chil - Santa visited the NICUs and fulfilled the dreams
dren’s before she passed away. many parents had for their babies — a picture .
with Santa.
“We’re so happy the room has such an Vision
impact on children, and I’m thankful to trans- “This project helps make the holidays a (-)
form the pain of losing my daughter to build bit more normal for families, and it’s a heart -
something positive.” warming experience for volunteers and staff,” .
says Jenna Caswell-Nasiff, social worker.
Heal Sick Children
(-)
Mark A. Wallace, Texas Children’s president and .
CEO, and Karla Goudet dedicate the opening
of Mariana’s Place, the first of six multisensory Promise–The Woodlands
room’s underwritten by the Goudet family.
Campus ()
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