The Child Life team at the IWK is made of Child Life specialists, a therapeutic clown named Buddington, and a music therapist who aim to make a patient’s experience at the IWK less stressful. Through therapeutic play and distraction techniques, the Child Life team helps prepare patients and their families for medical examinations or procedures that may be worrying them.
Buddington the Therapeutic Clown and Mandy the Child Life specialist helped us get Cooper through a very difficult time. They’ve became an important part of Cooper’s care and our time at the IWK.
~Jon Thornton, Cooper's dad
They also help kids be kids while in the IWK by providing opportunities for fun and laughter during their visits to the IWK for both patients and their siblings.
“Buddington the Therapeutic Clown and Mandy the Child Life specialist helped us get Cooper through a very difficult time,” said Jon Thornton, dad to IWK patient Cooper Thornton. “They’ve became an important part of Cooper’s care and our time at the IWK.”
