Lily Pads Bring Sense of Calm During Hospital Treatments

When 5-year-old Audrey Yandell and her family heard a knock on their hospital door, they opened it to find a colorful surprise: a group of people holding cheerfully decorated wooden platforms for her IV pole. After seeing the options, she chose the one with artwork featuring ocean life.

“Seeing her smile is amazing,” says Lyndsay Yandell, Audrey’s mom. “It’s her absolute favorite. She loves little fishies and she loves rides. This is a great way to make something like an infusion fun.”

The platforms are called IV lily pads, and they attach to the bottom of an IV pole. They allow patients to sit or stand on them, holding on to the pole, so they can ride along as they move through the hospital.

“We have very sick children here who don’t always have the strength to get out of the room,” says Jesus Cepero, RN, PhD, chief nursing officer at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. “Those distractions and that little time that they spend out of their room or their bed makes a big difference. That’s why this was a wonderful project for us and why many kids will benefit now and in the future.”

About a year ago, David Clark, a 15-year-old Boy Scout, was looking for inspiration for his Eagle Scout project. All he knew was that he wanted to make a lasting impact on the community. That was when he stumbled upon pictures of children sitting on IV lily pads, and he got to work.

“A lot of people, like me, are afraid of needles, and I just thought that the lily pads would be reassuring to patients and provide moral support,” David says.

His goal was to create 100 lily pads for the patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, which cares for young patients with chronic and complex diseases. He got in touch with the Center for Professional Excellence and Inquiry (CPEI) team at Stanford Children’s to launch his project.

“I feel really lucky that Dr. Cepero said let’s do this project,” he says. “I exchanged emails with Maricela Olmos, Ms. Kristine Taylor, and a whole bunch of other people. The list just goes on. They’ve been a big help with logistics.”

David also enlisted the help of students from nearby high schools and Stanford Children’s staff to design and paint each platform at Packard Children’s. The final count was 110 IV lily pads.

David Clark spray painting a PAC-MAN design

“It was not a small task,” says Kristine Taylor, DNP, executive director of CPEI. “There are multiple layers to these lily pads, and between each one, they have to dry. So, as you can imagine, it took a lot for David to organize. We also had staff come and volunteer too. They’re beautiful, and I think our patients are going to love it.”

On delivery day, David was filled with both joy and relief. He could see the culmination and impact of his yearlong project. Seeing the smile on Audrey’s face made it all worth it.

“I think these IV lily pads is just a wonderful way to help out with the kids’ mental health,” David says. “My goal was to make it feel like somebody else is caring and thinking about them. The doctors are wonderful, but the environment can feel sterile, so I’m glad to see that these lily pads can brighten their day.”

The designs have been split up across the hospital, and patients will have the option to choose the one they like for their IV pole. Going forward, the CPEI team has plans to sustain the program and ensure that the lily pads remain in rotation, so they can continue to bring joy to young patients.

David Clark with Jesus Cepero, PhD, RN and Kristine Taylor, DNP

Audrey pointing out the octopus on the IV lily pad design