From the hallway you can hear the laughter of children at play, but these sounds are not typically heard in this building.
The laughter comes from the playroom in the immunocompromised unit, a unit at Shands Children’s Hospital for children receiving treatment for illnesses such as cancer, lupus and sickle cell anemia.
These children, whose days are filled with various tests and treatments, have something to look forward to when they feel miserable — time with their buddies.
The Footprints Buddy and Support Program aims to pair up children in the unit with UF student volunteers to give the children a familiar face to comfort them when they come to Shands for treatment, said Erica Sokol, president of Footprints.
This program, which was founded in 2002 by David Sinopoli, then a UF student and marrow transplant survivor, provides long-term or day buddies to children admitted to the unit.
Long-term buddies are assigned to patients who will be receiving treatment and recovering for an extended period of time, which can last from a few weeks to many months. The volunteers are able to form a more consistent connection by seeing the children all the time, Sokol said.
Diane Howard, a social worker and case manager in the patient and family resources department at Shands, works closely with Sokol and the Footprints volunteers to make sure volunteers and patients are matched correctly.
It depends on age, the match of interests between the volunteer and their skills and personalities, Howard said.
Ashley Flock, a UF biology junior, has been assigned two long-term buddies since she began volunteering with Footprints in fall of 2010.
Her current buddy is a 2-year-old boy diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The treatment involves many days of chemotherapy as an inpatient.
When he was diagnosed in July 2010, the cancer was in stage four, Flock said.
Flock spent three times a week watching TV and just spending time with him while he was trying to overcome his illness.
Recently, Flock has been able to share in the joy of watching her buddy recover as he learned to walk again. She found out from his parents that he is now in remission and will be going home soon.
Sokol said the program currently has about 35 volunteers, and she is hoping for more next semester.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or learning more about the organization in general, contact Sokol at esoks90@gmail.com.
