Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Upcoming Events: Presence in The Hospital
Upcoming Events: Presence in The Hospital
The mission of The UNC Dance Marathon is to unite the University, community and state in fostering emotional
and financial support that improves the quality of life for the patients, families and staff of N.C. Children’s Hospital.
Upcoming
"It always seems impossible
Events until it's done."
December 2: Tacky
Holiday Sprint
Come to Polk Place
–– Nelson Mandela
at 6 p.m. to show off
your tackiest holiday
gear and compete for
prizes. Cost: $10.
Battle of the Bands
December 3: Battle Three of Chapel Hill’s finest musicians bring the noise
as they face off for the opportunity to play at the 24-
of the Bands hour marathon. See Page 2 UNC-DM File
Help choose perform-
ers for the marathon
at The Library on
The Personal Touch January 2010
Franklin Street from Being a nurse on the 5th floor of N.C. Children’s Hos-
pital means building relationships with patients and
9:30 p.m. to 12:30
a.m. $5 under 21, $3 touching lives forever. See Page 3
How to survive UNC-DM 2011:
over.
Dance With Me Welcome 2011
dancers!!
UNC-DM swarmed campus during Dancer Recruitment
We’ve got 3 tips to get you
Week, as committee members enlisted 1,600 students
to pledge to dance at the marathon. through 24 hours on your feet:
In preparation See Page 3 1. Caffeine is 2. Don't sit down
for the 2010
World Cup, No Longer Lost in Translation your best friend,
as long as you don't
in the bathroom;
it makes it harder
South Africans With funding from a UNC-DM division grant, Spanish- overdose. Alternate when you come back
created the between coffee and up!
speaking patients and families at the hospital rely on
Cokes to keep things 3. Take advantage of the
“Diski” dance, a translator to communicate with doctors. interesting. calf massages.
influenced by See Page 5
the country’s
own style of
playing soccer, Presence in the Hospital For the Kids Story
or, in South Af- Benjamin is a 21-month-old boy who came
rica, football. We held a “Space Cowboys” social, with face paint-
ing, alien hand-puppets and fishing for prizes. Thurs- to UNC Hospitals for evaluation of failure-
“Diski” is slang
in South Africa day night pizza dinners are up and running, provid- to-thrive. His family’s income was ex-
for the game. ing families two free meals every week: Tuesdays tremely limited, and his step-father did not
Made up of five (through Parents’ Night out) and now Thursdays. have any paid leave. His mother received
unique South Dancers can volunteer to read, color or play Dance Work First for her children. When Benja-
African soccer Dance Revolution with kids in the General Pediatric min was successfully treated and ready for
moves, they say Clinic waiting room through Healthy Steps. discharge the family had no money for gas
it’s rhythmic
and playful, but Dancers can also shadow a doctor in the general for the trip home. The For the Kids Fund
never boring. clinic and can e-mail Gracie Beard at gbeard@email. provided gas money so the family could
unc.edu for more information. travel 133 miles to their home.
2 December Newsletter
Lazy Afternoon
Born 2 Step performed at the Lazy Af-
ternoon event along with UNC-CH student
musician Catie King and fellow step team
Phi Beta Sigma. Students gathered on
campus to learn more about UNC-DM and
how to get involved. Food and games also
kept attendees busy. Campus Fundraising
Chair Galen Cook said she hoped that stu-
dents would see the passion and excite-
ment involved with the UNC-DM cause. “I
want them to realize how much UNC-DM
has shaped our lives, and that it can do Molly Sutherland
the same for them,” she said.
3 December Newsletter
Nurse
Continued from
page 3 other to get through a lot of the hard positive to cancer,” she said.
times,” Fannin said. Fannin’s typical workday starts at
"It’s sad, but I like building that re- Fannin said she once saw a little girl 7 a.m. and involves giving treatments
lationship," she said, "and if people help another remove her feeding tube. including chemotherapy, antibiotics
are going to have to go through such “It was time for the tube to come and pain medication. She also helps
a terrible time, I like being one of the out and she was terrified. One of her educate families about their child’s
people that helps them get through little buddies down the hall said, ‘Oh, care.
that.” I had one of those, I’ll go help her,'" “There’s not a lot of sitting around
Those relationships also make the Fannin said. that happens here,” Fannin said.
job emotionally taxing. The girls were between 10 and 12, Fannin’s passion for her job is easy
“As much as you try to keep up a but they talked through the process to see. Her eyes light up when talking
wall with every patient, it’s impossible and pulled the feeding tube out to- about favorite children and families,
when you’re building these relation- gether. holiday activities and fellow nurses.
ships with families not to somewhat "These kids understand more than “I can’t imagine doing anything
get attached,” Fannin said. anyone what other kids are going else,” she said. “I look forward to
For the long-term patients on the through," Fannin said. coming in and seeing the kids here.
5th floor, the nursing staff and the The relationships between patients They’re just as much therapy for us as
other patients all become like a big and staff can last long after families we are for them.
family. leave the hospital, Fannin said. “You realize what’s important and
“I think what’s really special about “I think it’s helpful to keep in touch what’s not in life when you see what
our floor is that the families get to with the ones that do make it, be- these kids are going through,” she
know each other, and rely on each cause then you realize that there is a said.
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