When 8-year-old Owen was bitten by a dog, his lower lip was nearly torn off, turning a peaceful evening into a night of uncertainty. With his parents out for a date night, a family member rushed him to the local emergency room, but it was clear that the extent of Owen’s injuries required specialized care. Shortly after, Owen was swiftly transferred to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.
His mother, Alicia, recalls their first encounter with the Nemours Children’s, “We started in the emergency department at Nemours, and everyone was so great with him,” she says. The immediate care and the compassionate approach of the care team provided the family with a sense of reassurance during a highly stressful time.
“We got admitted that night with a plan of having surgery the next day,” says Alicia. It was then that they met Dr. Caterson, Division Chief of Plastic Surgery. “He was phenomenal. He was really, really great with talking to our kiddo and explaining things to us,” Alicia shares. The entire surgical team, from the anesthesiologists to the nurses, demonstrated a level of professionalism and kindness that left a lasting impression.
“Owen had his surgery, and afterward he looked like he was completely put together. It was a huge relief,” Alicia says. His family’s concern over how Owen’s appearance and functionality would be affected was alleviated by the skill and care of the surgical team.
Recovery after surgery was a gradual process for Owen. “He was a little slow coming around after surgery, so it took him a little while to eat and drink and to get back on his feet,” Alicia explains. However, the hospital stay made a significant impact on the family. “It was a really great experience from beginning to end. Fom admission to discharge, it was phenomenal,” Alicia emphasizes. The doctors, residents, child life specialists, and nurses all played crucial roles in making their stay as comfortable and positive as possible. “For being such a terrible kind of life event for us, it ended up being a really positive experience.”
One year later, Owen has made a full recovery. “He has a couple of scars on his face, but his lip is attached, and all of his parts and pieces work,” Alicia says. “There was a little concern in the beginning about whether he was going to have full function, but he’s fine. He’s completely functional. He has adjusted very well, he’s doing great,” she adds. The experience at Nemours not only healed Owen physically but also inspired Alicia to pursue a career in pediatric healthcare.
“I’m a nurse,” says Alicia, “And I feel like, as someone in healthcare, you’re always a bit more critical in healthcare settings. You’re on the other side of the spectrum, so you can develop opinions pretty quickly. Because of this, I could see that the system at Nemours really worked.” During Owen’s stay at Nemours, Alicia witnessed a level of care and dedication that surpassed anything she had encountered before. “I know that nurses are crazy busy with lots of patients and lots of demand,” says Alicia. “But I just never felt that from them, at Nemours. In my personal experience, at an adult hospital, you feel that stress, you feel that tension in the space. I never felt it from our nurses, from our child life specialist, from our doctors, from anyone at Nemours. Everybody just came and acted like Owen was their only patient.”
Seeing how everyone at Nemours interacted with Owen, it was clear to Alicia that they genuinely cared about his well-being. “At Nemours, I never felt pushed by the nurses to just get Owen out and back home,” says Alicia. “It was always ‘What is best for him,’ and ‘We’ll work to get him where he needs to be.’ If he needs to stay another night, it’s fine. Having that experience and seeing how everybody worked together, I thought, ‘Man, maybe this is a place that I want to work.’ Everybody here, even having all these patients, they’re still managing to come in and spend quality time with my kiddo.”
The seamless operation of Nemours and the dedication of its associates convinced Alicia to make the switch. “I didn’t want to just go anywhere,” she explains. “I wanted to be at Nemours. This facility and this organization runs so smoothly. If you have an organization where there are people that are willing to be dedicated regardless of the stress and the chaos, that’s an organization that really values it’s patients and staff.” Today, Alicia is a proud member of the Nemours team where she serves as a supervisor in the surgical clinic. Since joining the team, she has found immense joy in her work. “I don’t regret my decision at all,” she says. “Working with kids has been so rewarding. Nowhere else do you get to talk about the silliest things, and it’s all part of the job. Truly, it was the best decision.”
