Doctor Draws Little Cartoons On Dressings So Kids Aren't Scared By Surgery Scars

Jan 23, 2020 by apost team

There’s often nothing scarier for a child than going to the hospital. It seems to them a strange place full of strange people who poke and prod and often separate them from mom and dad. Despite the kindness and patience of the staff, it can be hard to lift a child’s spirits, especially for more serious procedures like an operation. But one Doctor has used his remarkable extra talent to take the fear out of the situation, with much success.

Dr. Robert Parry had the genius idea to put his artistic skills to good use by drawing cheerful cartoons on the post-surgery bandages of children to distract them from the scar. The hospital where he practices, Akron Children’s Hospital, has noted his unique effort to make sure that every one of his young patients takes away something happy from their stressful experience, often personalizing the drawings to their own tastes and interests.

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Since 2011, Dr. Parry has performed over 10,000 procedures, each one accompanied by a skillfully drawn dressing of various popular characters and scenes; everything from Batman to Elsa.

The five minutes it takes for him to complete one sketch makes a timeless impression on the children he treats. When Dr. Parry was scheduled to perform surgery on Samantha Manning’s 11-month-old daughter, Dr. Parry drew a beautiful flower garden on her bandage.

Grateful for the small but impactful gesture, Samantha pointed out that it shows how much the staff at the hospital cares about each patient. When Christina Potts Whipkey’s daughter, Kennedy, had to go in and have a procedure, her nerves were calmed and replaced with excited curiosity when the doctor told her she’d have a beautiful butterfly when it was all done. Once the procedure was finished, everyone, including Kennedy, was too excited to find out what he meant to be worried or afraid.

That goes to show how such a small and simple gesture can remove the fear from an otherwise scary situation and make the world a better place, one patient at a time. Have you ever had a doctor that went above and beyond to make you feel better? Let us know about it! Make sure you spread the joy and kindness of this story to all your friends and loved ones.