I recently shared a memorable elevator ride with a mom, dad and their two-year old son, Joey. We were staying in a hotel connected to a children’s hospital, and the IV pole the dad was patiently pushing suggested his little guy was undergoing treatment.
This tiny fellow was a clone of his dad, who grinned from ear to ear when I commented on the resemblance. But most of the conversation was from the toddler himself in the repetition of this simple phrase: “Go, team, go!”
The high pitch of Joey’s voice revealed anxiety as he recited these words over and over. He said them like a mantra, bolstering his own courage as he was trying to convince everyone else that he would be all right.
Clearly, Joey’s parents had been assuring him that their “team” could handle whatever therapies he’d have to endure. The miniature cheerleader worked hard to keep everyone’s spirits up on the long elevator ride down.
This little family stayed with me throughout the day as I recalled his sweet “Go, team, go!” chorus. I imagined the energetic boy tethered to monitors and tubes as he was fed nausea-inducing chemotherapy. Toddlerhood is a time when all kids want to do is run and play in celebration of what is typically good health and new-found autonomy. Instead, this poor guy will be dis-empowered by meds that make him feel lousy and confinement that cramps his style.
But Joey is not facing these challenges alone. Through it all, he’s part of a team. He can count on the strong hands of his mom and dad to hold his own when his nurse starts a new IV. His parents will read and sing with him as he must be still for procedures. They’ll fill his hours with knock-knock jokes. They’ll boost his sense of control by teaching him to count down to the end of painful treatments. He knows they’ll be at his side every step of the way. His stress is buffered by loving, dependable adults who join him in his experience.
As his parents buoy him up with hope, Joey is discovering that unpleasant experiences can be endured and even overcome, with the support of a team.
