Nine-year-old Kade Moore lights up every room with his energetic spirit and contagious laughter. But his journey hasn’t always been easy.
When Kade was just two years old, what started as persistent low-grade fevers and unanswered questions turned into every parent’s nightmare—a diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Following his diagnosis, Kade faced a whirlwind of hospital visits, grueling treatments and long drives between his hometown of Solway, Minnesota, and Sanford Children’s Hospital in Fargo. For the Moore family, it was a time to come to terms with the diagnosis and balancing the needs of their other kids at home.
“The whole time I felt sick and yucky,” Kade recalls.
But amid the hardest days, there were glimmers of hope. One of those was the incredible support of the Child Life program.
“Child Life was a bright spot when it came to having to go to appointments — it was something to look forward to,” Alecia Moore, Kade’s mom said. “Medical professionals and Child Life were probably the most supportive group of people we could have had in that moment.”
Designed to help pediatric patients and their families navigate a medical journey with less fear and uncertainty, Child Life provides support and guidance through education and therapeutic play.
“We talk about children’s work as play. How do you teach a child in a playful way what’s about to happen to them so that they are a participant in their care, not just us adults coming and doing something to them that could be traumatic,” said Anna Wakefield, nursing inpatient manager for Sanford Health in Bemidji.
For Kade, it made all the difference.
“It made me feel better and it made me feel more safe, not as scared,” he said.
No parent ever imagines their child will face a life-threatening illness. But for the Moore family, the unimaginable became reality. However, thanks to programs like Child Life, they never walked alone. And today, Kade is healthy, and the laughter has returned to their home.
“You don’t really think about having to be hospitalized or having a kid who is sick until you go through it yourself. I am thankful that he is healthy,” Alecia said.
Give for Good.
Thanks to generous community support, philanthropy continues to be the driving force behind the introduction of this program in Bemidji. With continued giving, we hope even more children will experience the same comfort, care, and support that made such a difference for Kade!
We need your support to make our vision for Child Life services in Bemidji a reality. 100% of your gift through the Sanford Health Foundation will help support this important program, making a difference for local kids and families when it matters most.