Being admitted to a hospital can be a frightening experience for a child. But thanks to avid gamers in our community, funds raised through the gaming platform Extra Life benefit the Child Life program at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital – and help bring healing and fun, child-centered activities to patients and families.
The Doernbecher Child Life program transforms a daunting medical environment into a non-threatening place that can be navigated by children and families. The program helps everyone in a family to cope when a child is hospitalized, be it for a chronic condition, life–threatening illness or unexpected trauma. The main goal of this program is to deliver age-appropriate guidance, education and preparation to young patients who are experiencing traumatic medical
procedures or extended hospital stays.
Sam Giles le Blanc leads the therapeutic gaming program for the Child Life department at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Through gaming, he helps to bring the joy of imagination and community to kids at Doernbecher. In this video, Sam shares about his role, and the impact of the Extra Life program at Doernbecher.
“When a child is seriously ill for a long time, everything is put under strain — the marriage, the job, the other siblings,” says Dana Braner, M.D., FAAP, FCCM, physician-in-chief at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. “We do everything we can to ease that pressure, so the family can focus on healing.”
Support kids at Doernbecher through gaming
Play your favorite games and raise money for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Doernbecher is one of hundreds of Children Miracle Network Hospitals across the country that use the platform Extra Life to help gamers in our community play and promote giving to Doernbecher. Learn more about how you can raise money for Doernbecher while gaming with friends.
