Trauma dolls bring comfort to children at hospital

DeKalb – A visit to the emergency room can be traumatic – especially for a child who may not understand everything that’s happening.

Members of the Kiwanis Club of DeKalb and a handful of volunteers have started a project to help make that visit a little more comfortable.

For an hour each week, about a dozen volunteers sew “trauma dolls” for children who might feel a little scared during a trip to the hospital. The dolls serve several purposes, including providing a soothing distraction.

The dolls are made in tan or white cloth. About a foot long, they have a basic shape – a head, arms and legs – and feel like a soft pillow. Each doll comes in a clear plastic bag with a ribbon securing a washable marker in place.

Children can draw on the dolls to show doctors where they may feel pain, and doctors can use the dolls to help explain medical procedures. They can also help take a child’s mind off of their hospital visit.

"A young child ... may have never been in the hospital before. Especially if it's an emergency situation, it can be a
traumatic situation," said John Launer, a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club of DeKalb. "It provides comfort – something they can hold onto and have, and they can communicate with doctors where they hurt."

The first batch of 25 dolls arrived Kishwaukee Community Hospital last month, but Cindy Graves, the hospital’s director of emergency services, said they could use a lot more. The dolls are mainly used for children who are in the emergency room, she said, because that’s where they need the most comfort.

“I think it’s just a beautiful idea,” Graves said. “They’ve certainly done their homework in knowing what the child is in need of at that particular time.”

Volunteers have gathered each week since March to help sew the dolls in the designated craft room at the Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center. Joan Launer, community events coordinator at Oak Crest, said volunteers from the community work alongside Oak Crest residents who choose to volunteer.

Joan Launer said the retirement center started a separate craft project and fit the doll project into the same room after her husband, John Launer, brought up the idea.

The project is funded by the Kiwanis Club of DeKalb through fundraisers, such as the annual peanut sale and sales from Corn Fest. John Launer said the Kiwanis Clubs all over the world have been making trauma dolls for years, and he wanted to start something in DeKalb. The club’s motto is “changing the world, one child and one community at a time.”

“Money from the community goes back out to the community,” John Launer said.

He anticipates the trauma doll project to grow, but it’s a matter of recruiting more volunteers like Cindy Eissens of Sycamore, who has brought her daughter, Trinity, 8, along each week since she’s been out of school.

“I think it’s really good for her to learn the importance of contributing to the community,” said Eissens, who sometimes puts the finishing touches on dolls at home.

Graves said the dolls are put to good use at the hospital, adding that most of them are given to young emergency room patients. The group hopes to add more volunteers to help serve more than 25 children each month.

“We can do what we have the manpower to do,” Joan Launer said. “It might increase if we have more people.”