Elliott gazes outside from her room at McLane Children ’ s .
Elliott rings the bell to celebrate the end of her chemotherapy . to get to know her — things that made her uncomfortable , things that she wanted to control — and they applied that to her care .”
For example , Elliott ’ s oncologist slowly built a strong relationship with her , allowing her to warm up to him in her own time . The anesthesiologist team helped her feel in control by allowing her to hold the mask and sit in her parents ’ lap as they put her to sleep , and even made sure her favorite caregivers were there whenever Elliott was scheduled for a procedure . Many of the staff reached out to check on Elliott and her family throughout her treatment , even when she wasn ’ t at the hospital .
“ Every time she had to have something done , it was a relief for us as parents to know that she felt comfortable and wasn ’ t terrified , even if we were a bundle of nerves ,” JaNett says . “ All these little things the staff did made the experience so much easier and made us feel like we really mattered to them .”
Now two years cancer-free , Elliott is on to new adventures in kindergarten and enjoying her new baby sister . She visits McLane Children ’ s every few months for scans to make sure the cancer has not returned . “ Our girl is thriving ,” JaNett says . “ She is living life to the absolute fullest .”
Animal therapy made all the difference
Lorenzo is a specially trained facility dog who works with the Child Life team to comfort and distract patients in the hospital . He visited often with Elliott throughout her treatment and served as a bright moment of her day amid all the needles , procedures , and other stressful , but necessary parts of her treatment .
“ It ’ s heartbreaking as a parent to see your bubbly , outgoing child go through this treatment and sort of become a shell of what they were because they ’ re just so exhausted ,” JaNett says . “ But when she was interacting with Lorenzo , we got to see her spark again .”
Lorenzo also helped motivate Elliott when she didn ’ t want to do something . “ Instead of ‘ We ’ re going to the hospital ,’ I would tell her we were going to see Lorenzo ,” JaNett says . “ Or , when we needed her to get up and move , she would walk with Lorenzo .”
Inspired by the positive effect of Elliott ’ s relationship with Lorenzo , the family adopted a Labrador-Poodle mix named Moose who went through training to serve as an emotional support animal for Elliott . “ Childhood cancer can be really traumatizing ,” JaNett says . “ Some nights she would wake up screaming and crying in pain . Moose would hop up
Elliott and Lorenzo cuddle during her cancer treatment .
on the bed next to her and serve as a comfort and distraction until she could calm down .”
The family also hopes to have Moose certified as a therapy dog so that he too can comfort children in the hospital on a volunteer basis . “ Lorenzo did so much for Elliott , so we would love to be able to give back to other families in that way .”
To find out how you can support care for patients like Elliott , or Lorenzo and our Pawsitive Pals program , please contact Lori Luppino at
Lori . Luppino @ BSWHealth . org or 254-899-3771 .
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THE COMPASS / FALL 2022