Child Life Specialists are AMAZING!!

I just want to give a quick shout out to Melissa Addington BS CCLS!!! My son had surgery July 17 and she was the child life specialist for the OR that came to see us right after we got checked in. She was so kind, caring, patient, and she really helped my son Eli to not be so scared. She helped him pick a "flavor" for his anesthesia mask, and then gave him lots of stickers to decorate the mask with which was really helpful and it certainly helped dial down his anxiety about the surgery (because he was SUPER anxious about the IV part). By the time they were walking down the hall to the OR he was waving at people and cool as a cucumber!! As a Carilion nurse and employee myself, it really made me so prideful to have such a great experience!!! Everyone in the Peds OR and PACU were absolutely fantastic to us, thank you all!!!