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Home > News > Monongalia County > Morgantown

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St. Jude Employee Got her Start in Morgantown
Posted Thursday, July 9, 2009 ; 02:45 PM | View Comments | Post Comment
Updated Thursday, July 9, 2009; 06:45 PM


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Amy Scott learned about her current career at WVU.

Story by Courtney Dunn


MEMPHIS  -- Amy Scott has been working at St.Jude Children's Research Hospital for the past two-and-half years. But her journey began at West Virginia University.

"I studied child development and family studies and actually got some of my first experience at the hospital with the child life specialist," Scott said.

Twelve years later Scott's a Child Life Specialist, one of a number at St.Jude, helping children and their families cope with their diagnosis and treatment. Something that is especially important at this hospital in Memphis, where children are in the fight for their lives in a foreign place.

"A lot of the families are not from this area, so it's adjusting to a new area, hospital, a lot of new people and we just try to introduce them to what's here in their new environment," she explained.

But it's not just about making them feel comfortable in the extensive 2.5 million square-foot campus. It's also about familiarizing the children with the medical attention they'll receive.

"A lot of kids right after they're diagnosed are curious about if their hair is going to fall out, how long does it that take, will it grow back in, what are the medicines going to be like, are they going to make them sick," Scott said.

To help patients understand what's happening in their bodies Scott uses a variety of teaching tools. But the teachings don't just help the patients, they often help the parents too.

"Sometimes going through those teachings together with their kids helps them also understand a little bit better about what's going on with their child and how they're understanding it and sort of help them cope with it each step of the way," she added.

As part of the art therapy program patients and their families are given a different letter of the alphabet to express how they're feeling about childhood cancer. It ranges from U for understanding to the most popular - V for vomit. Expressing the ups and downs of fighting childhood diseases.

"We help them adjust to hospitalization by providing normal activities and experiences like they would have had at home, like celebrating their birthdays, celebrating holidays, the older kids have a prom, so that they get to have the experience they might otherwise have missed," Scott explained.

And when the battle is won, patients enjoy a special no more chemo party.

"It's great to be able to follow them along on their journey," she said.

Meanwhile back in Monongalia County St. Jude is still selling tickets for its Dream Home Cassville.

$100 will buy you a chance at a three-bedroom two-bathroom house or $125,000 cash.

Open Houses are from 12 to 5 every Saturday and Sunday through August 1.

Visitors can sign up for a chance to win a $5,000 furniture shopping spree, courtesy of Chuck's Furniture.

You an also win several other prizes including $1,000 savings bonds, gift cards at Kroger and Boomerang's and a framed, autographed portrait of Pat White.

Click on the link below for more information.

Related Links:
   - St. Jude Dream Home Information

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