Drew & Kristin Stanton (center back row) with members of the Nichols family
Find more photos from the event on facebook
Published: June 20, 2014
When Brian Nichols, 17, of Williamston, died from Hodgkin's disease in 1988 after countless days and nights in the Sparrow Children's Center his friends and family fulfilled his vision to create a place, the Brian Nichols Teen Lounge, where Patients like him could feel like a normal teenager.
Today, thanks to the generous support of High 5ive - The Drew Stanton Foundation and Lexus of Lansing, the Sparrow Children's Center celebrated a grand reopening of the Teen Lounge after a complete renovation to provide a more age-appropriate "hang-out" for our older Children's Center Patients.
The new space features modern lounge furniture, a flat-screen television, gaming systems, and more in an area designed especially for our older pediatric Patients.
"We've created a space, away from the hospital bed, where teens can feel at home even when they are struggling to understand a new diagnosis or preparing for the next round of treatment," said Stephen Guertin, M.D., Medical Director of the Sparrow Children's Center. "This is a place for them to have some independence, watch a movie with friends, take a deep breath."
On any given day, there are between 15-40 children being cared for in the Sparrow Children's Center. Approximately 25 percent of these children are 13 years of age or older.
For more than a century, Sparrow has been a leader in caring for children. The first hospital in mid-Michigan to offer a dedicated children's unit, Sparrow today is home to the region's only full-service pediatric emergency department. As the region's Children's Miracle Network hospital, Sparrow is able to provide families the most advanced technology and treatment options in pediatric and neonatal care.
This project, and more like it to come, is an example of how Sparrow is transforming care and implementing best practices to improve the health of our community.