Win - Win Situation

The Cardz for Kidz! staff frequently interact with kids and bond with staff at local hospitals. Even with the hundreds of volunteered hours we have NO where near the potential interaction experience as pediatric doctors. In order to learn more about a different kind of connection we reached out to a pediatric neurologist in northern Ohio, Dr. Chinasa Nwankwo. Here are some of her stories about some of her favorite patients!

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Resilient Relationship.

“While thinking about the hundreds of patients, I’d have to say one that I’ll always remember is Lora.* Her mom originally brought her to the hospital because she noticed her eyes were bouncing around and she was irritable. She was later admitted and diagnosed with an acute attack of the substance that covers her nerves. We didn’t know what sparked it, but we had to figure out how to stop it and bring back any lost function. She was in the hospital for a couple weeks. During that time she received multiple “scary” treatments. We tried our best to effectively communicate with her mother since there was a language barrier; she strictly spoke Spanish (that’s why we ask for cards in Spanish too!). The only thing they would say in English is ‘hello’. I saw her in follow up over the next six months. Each time I walked in the room, her mother was so grateful and would jump up and provide a hug and kiss. She recovered completely. Working in medicine allows you to make long lasting relationships that are both personal and professional.”

Consistent Connection.

“I remember another one of my favorite patients named Gina*; she was about 16 years old. When I originally met her she came to the hospital for migraines.  She was always sweet, funny, and shy and soon started to open up. Her headaches were easy to control so we spent the majority of time chatting and comparing our nail colors. One time she came a bit before our scheduled visit and it was clear that she was down and depressed. Her mom told me she just failed her national exams, was worried about her. I asked her mom why she brought her to me specifically and she said ‘because I know she can talk to you’. I tried to explain that I wasn’t a counselor and could only do so much. But we had a heart to heart, and it was encouraging to chat and bond with them.”

“Every patient that comes into your life comes in for a special purpose. Most often people think it’s for you to do something for them, but more often than not, the patient is the one helping the doctor. “

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Everyone knows that patients go to hospitals to get help from doctors. When we think about that “relationship” it seems that clearly it’s more beneficial for the patients. But after hearing how some of the patients can impact the doctors’ lives, we now understand it’s a Win – Win Situation.

#upliftingspirits #winwinsituation

To see more pictures and stories please check out our website www.cardzforkidz.org, like us on Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page!

*Names changed due to HIPAA privacy regulations.

Worth the Wait AND Weight

Tough call. What’s more important, official government paperwork OR a website?

To this day we’re REAL THANKFUL for ALL the hard work our buddies put in to help us fill out the IL Secretary of State documents, IL Attorney General files, and IRS 501(c)(3) paperwork; all together a total of 43 pages!! Even with all those hours, when we talk to folks (outside of large corporations who are looking to make formal partnerships), they usually ask to see our website.

Here’s what a lot of hospitals and/or groups consider before they ask to see our site:

• Groups Think. Wait! Here’s a non-profit we can “work” with that’s 100% free AND we can do it from our office AND we can impact disheartened children across the globe. Also, we can write about it on our blogs and put our logo up on their site……and yes it’s free. I don’t believe it, I need more information. “Can I see your website?”
• Hospitals Wonder. Hold on there’s a mythical organization that did A LOT of searching to find our small hospital. Then they’re claiming they’ll send us a card for EVERY one of our patients at least once a quarter and try to get us any language we want. All we have to do is ‘pinky promise’ that we’ll deliver the cards room to room. I don’t understand. “Do you have more information on your website?”
• Side note. Even with his unlimited mobile to mobile minutes, one of our team members STILL went over his monthly minutes since he was on hold and switched from desk to desk at small hospitals because they’d never heard of this type group. J

Due to those requests, we’ve been trying to get the site live for AWHILE. Here are some of the steps:

1. March 2013. Met someone who loved what we did and told us they’d build a custom site 100% for free. They got started and here’s a screenshot of the where we left off:
   
2. May 2013. Personal connection reached out to let us know they loved what we did and would help. They let us know they’d do the designing for free. Unfortunately we were unable to get things finalized.
3. June 2013. During a workshop about ‘Search Engine Optimization’ we met someone who led a company who creates renowned websites. We told them about our goal….they told us we were too small.
4. October 2013. We knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone who may be able to help us. Unfortunately that fell through. L
5. November 2013. After a presentation at an event, a company reached out to us via Twitter saying they would give us a good rate to build our site. After reaching out a couple times we got an estimate. They updated us that they couldn’t give us a flat amount. They gave us a range of what they expected it to be, but told us we’d get an hourly rate with a max price. We originally expected the site to be live in December 2013. Then March 2014. Finally, and thankfully, it went live at the end of April. Turns out it was more expensive than we hoped.

Even with the long wait we’re VERY EXCITED. Now when we call and chat with hospitals or connect with new organizations we can say, “Yes. You can find more information on the ‘How To’ section of our website.”

So although the cost was slightly ‘heavier’ than we had hoped and it took A LONG time to get finalized, getting the website up was Worth the Wait & Weight!

#upliftingspirits #worththewaitandweight

To see more pictures and stories please check out our website www.cardzforkidz.org, like us on Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page!