Texas Children's Hospital
For patients, going to the hospital is not a fun experience. Between the medical reason that brings them in to the disruption of their everyday lives, its rare that anyone looks back at their time in the hospital positively.
I took a break from the world last week and witnessed hospital living firsthand. My wife (who was 8 months pregnant at the time) checked into Texas Children's Pavilion for Women with high blood pressure. This kicked off a several day journey which included induction, a lot of bleeding, an emergency C-section, and luckily the birth of our first child. There were times during this period when I felt completely overwhelmed and there were moments of fear where I was certain the worst might happen. But looking back, besides the real hero (my wife!), I have to give all of my gratitude to the hospital staff for their hard work and professionalism; and strangely enough, to Disney. Yes, I said Disney…
Back in 2018, Disney announced a five-year plan to commit $100M in resources to help reimagine the patient and family experience in children's hospitals and Texas Children's is the guinea pig for this initiative. When they set their plan into motion their aim was clear; help families who have a child facing serious illness. Now, from the description I gave above that is not really what we went through. In terms of hospital time we were in and out relatively quickly and though our procedure was scary, it was really a routine one. But even though I only got a small taste of Disney's presence, I was thankful they were there.
When my wife and I were panicking about what would happen next, a nurse came into the room wearing a Disney badge and before we knew it, we found ourselves discussing their favorite movie characters and why they chose the badge they did. We even learned that the staff is encouraged to trade badges, and from the sounds off it Princess Tiana is in high demand. When things finally calmed down and my wife was sleeping, I got a chance to catch up on the NBA playoffs. I will always have the memory of holding my child and sharing our first sports moment together while catching the recap of the Raptors winning the championship on (Disney owned) ESPN. These things seem so small, but when you are anxious and scared and in a strange place, it's the small comforts that ground you and help you return to a state of normalcy.
So what about those families whom Disney is targeting? What are Disney's benefits for them? Needless to say it goes well beyond small comforts. Here are some of the highlights:
- Personal – Room Décor, Hospital Gowns, & Care Packages; all customized to the choice of the patient. And yes sports fans, that appears to include ESPN and sports packages as well.
- Public Areas – Murals, Magic windows, and Magic portals; all interactive with games and apps designed to allow children a break from their rooms and a glimpse into the magical Disney universe.
- Movies and Shows – A mobile movie theater and DisneyNow apps; giving families access to the library of Disney owned media.
- Staff Engagement – The badges I mentioned earlier along with personalized training events with a focus on care, compassion, & comfort.
I missed the announcement of this initiative back in 2018 but was pleasantly surprised to hear about it now. I only caught a portion of the benefits myself in my short stay and am obviously hopeful I never get a chance to fully experience the rest. But with that being said I am extremely grateful it exists. It is truly amazing that a kid going into surgery has access to their heroes on demand to help calm them and give them words of encouragement. Because of the amazing Texas Children's staff and their partnership with Disney, kids who face difficult situations might be able to look back on them one day and actually have happy memories sprinkled in.
Before I return back to the busy world of work and sports (and now fatherhood), I want to take a moment to applaud all those involved in this initiative. Though it was only small gestures for me I truly thank you for your hard work. I know that the families who are unfortunate enough to need full access to these resources are extremely grateful for the effort you have put forth. Please keep up the great work!
For anyone looking to learn more please follow up here: https://www.texaschildrens.org/departments/disney-team-heroes
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo has “no hard feelings” toward Amen Thompson after the Houston forward was ejected for pulling him down from behind by his head and neck Tuesday night.
The Bucks were down by two with about 4½ minutes left when Thompson committed the foul as Antetokounmpo went up for a shot in the lane. The play was reviewed and determined to by a flagrant foul 2 and Thompson was ejected.
Houston went on to a 100-97 victory that snapped Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak.
“At the end of the day like you don’t wanna have a league that’s soft,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about the play. “I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they’re great competitors.”
“I’m one of those guys,” he continued. “Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way (of) making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck. But there’s no hard feelings.”
Thompson didn’t speak to reporters after the game.
Antetokounmpo believes that plays like this one or simply part of the game.
“I understand like when you’re a competitor, you’re gonna make mistakes like that,” he said. “I love it. I love playing this way. I don’t have no hard feelings against him.”
Both Houston coach Ime Udoka and Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers agreed that Thompson should have been ejected for the foul.
Crew chief Tony Brothers explained the decision to eject Thompson to a pool reporter after the game.
“Because the contact to the head was both unnecessary and excessive and by rule that’s a flagrant foul penalty two,” he said.
It’s the second ejection this season for Thompson, who was also tossed in a December game against the Heat after throwing Miami guard Tyler Herro to the floor. The incident triggered an altercation between the teams which led to the ejections of six players and staff members.
Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, was suspended two games for his actions in that skirmish.