PUPS HELP ILL KIDS PAT OUT SOME PAIN.Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer WESTWOOD - One of the angels that 9-year-old Cory Callison eagerly awaits each day wags a tail. ``Angel!'' Cory shouts as she stretches out her slender bandaged arms to greet the hospital visitor, a light-brown mixture of chow and German shepherd breeds. Angel and her owner, Grace Freixes of Valencia, visit Cory almost every other weekend at UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital. Cory hopes one day for another kind of an angel in her hospital room - one announcing that a heart has been found to replace her own. The little girl has been bedridden bed·rid·den or bed·rid adj. Confined to bed because of illness or infirmity. for almost three months and will remain so until she can get a heart transplant. But for now, Cory knows she can rely on visits from Angel the dog - a welcome sight hurrying to hold out a paw and then give the child a warm, furry embrace. ``This is what she looks forward to, every day and every night Every Day and Every Night is the third record and the first EP by Nebraskan indie rock band Bright Eyes. It became the 30th release by Saddle Creek Records on November 1, 1999. ,'' said Cory's mother, Pamela Worley of Bakersfield. ``It makes her happy. It makes the time pass. And she loves dogs, too. She even has a toy poodle poodle, popular breed of dog probably originating in Germany but generally associated with France, where it has been raised for centuries. There are three varieties, differing in size only. at home named Angel.'' Angel visits in a volunteer program called the UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX People-Animal Connection, begun in 1994. Currently, 30 volunteers make the visiting rounds with their dogs at the hospital. The dogs pass a behavioral test before they can be included. Volunteers visit 40 different units and up to 400 patients a month at the UCLA Medical Center UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast according to US News & World Report. . ``When you first walk in ... you see the person in bed, and they are in pain, and then they see the animals. Their faces change, and it makes you feel good,'' said the program director, Jack Barron, who walked his 9-year-old golden retriever golden retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed primarily in Scotland in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 75 lb (27.2–34.1 kg). , Joey, through the hallways of the hospital. ``They forget, and they put out of their minds that they are in a hospital.'' For hospitalized children, the dogs bring warmth, companionship and spontaneity to sterile surroundings filled with needles, tubes and endless doctor visits. ``These animals give them a break (from) what (the children) can't control,'' said the medical center's senior child-life specialist, Rebecca Martinez. ``This helps relax them - and takes away the stress and anxiety.'' On Sunday, some of the dogs wore holiday garb for a special visit. West Los Angeles
metaphorical decoration for deceived husband. [Western Folklore: Jobes, 395] See : Cuckoldry and bells. Other dogs sported red ribbons around their collars. The volunteers sang Christmas carols in the pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. unit, where they paused to let small hands reach out and pet the well-behaved pooches on their furry heads. The tender moments touch the volunteers as well as the children's parents and the hospital staff. ``This changed my life, because we all have problems, but when you see some of the people here, you forget your own problems,'' Barron said. ``This program is a win-win for everybody.'' Northridge resident Tom Marshall said he discovered the program after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor Brain Tumor Definition A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain. and couldn't go back to work. He and his black-and-white border collie border collie, breed of medium-sized, sheepherding dog developed in the British Isles. It stands about 18 in. (45.7 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 30 to 45 lb (13.6–20.4 kg). , Daisy, now come to the hospital. Besides looking pretty, Daisy has talents. ``Can you sing for us, Daisy?'' Marshall asked his dog. Lifting her nose toward the sky, Daisy belted out a wail to the delight of onlookers. ``It's not just the patients who like this, but the staff, too,'' said Angel's owner. Freixes, who adopted Angel three years ago from the Castaic Animal Shelter, has been a volunteer with the dog for more than two years. ``I need a doggie hug,'' she said hospital workers routinely tell her. ``This is a great program to volunteer with,'' she said. ``I get to spend the day with my dog, and you get to know people, their families, and they are always so kind.'' In Cory's hospital room, Angel got one more big hug before leaving to visit with other patients. ``You got your wish! Angel came to visit, huh, Cory?'' said the child's mother. ``Maybe it's a sign of good things to come.'' Susan Abram, (661) 257-5257 susan.abram(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Angel, a chow-shepherd mix, elicits a smile Sunday from Cory Callison, 9, bedfast bed·fast adj. Confined to bed; bedridden. Adj. 1. bedfast - confined to bed (by illness) bedrid, bedridden, sick-abed until a heart can be found for a transplant. (2 -- ran in SAC edition only) Dog-owning volunteers in the UCLA Medical Center People-Animal Connection program sing Christmas carols Sunday for pediatric patients. One of the dogs also sings on cue. (3 -- ran in SAC edition only) Grace Freixes of Valencia smiles as her dog, Angel, cheers up Cory Callison, 9, hospitalized with severe heart trouble. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
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