For 20 years, they have eased kids’ fears

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

For Lindsay Morgan and Megan Ali, the past 20 years have flown by. And most of it – personally and professionally – has been in the service of children.

Both are celebrating 20 years as certified child life specialists at Riley Hospital for Children – a rewarding career in a place they love.

Morgan marked her 20^th anniversary in May, while Ali’s is coming up in August. For 13 of those years, Morgan worked part-time while her now-teenage children with husband Brad were small. Ali worked full-time initially and now is part-time, as her children with husband Omar are just 6 and 8.

Both say that flexibility to be the best team member and the best parent has been key to their longevity at Riley.

“I am still here because I was given the opportunity to be part-time, which allowed me to balance being a mom and a child life specialist,” Morgan said. “I will forever be grateful for that opportunity.”

Ali echoes that sentiment.

“When I’m here, I can give it my all, and then I can leave and be present for my kids at home,” she said.

On top of that, Ali added, “I really enjoy the people I work with. Our teams have the best interests of the patients and families at heart, and that’s why I’m still here. I really enjoy my day-to-day work, and I love to serve our patients and families.”

Morgan, who earned a degree in child development and family science from Purdue University, has worked on the second-floor surgery unit in the Simon Family Tower for 14 of her 20 years. There she calms kiddos and their parents before surgery.

“I prep kids for what to expect before they go back to the operating room, and I get the opportunity to support them during anesthesia induction,” she said.

“Kids often come in with a lot of fears, so to be able to help them understand what it will look like when they get back to surgery and support them while they wait for anesthesia induction and then come back and tell the family they did great is so rewarding.”

And it’s about much more than a paycheck, Morgan said.

“I have always felt like this job has given me a way to serve in a different way, to serve families in a time of need. They really do rely on us to help make it better, so getting the opportunity to do that for so many every day is such a blessing.”

Ali, who works in outpatient urology, earned a bachelor’s in family and child studies from Ball State University (where she originally went to study dance) and did her internship at Riley. A few months later, she secured a full-time position on the child life team.

“This is all I know,” she said. “I love dance, but I knew I wanted to work with kids, and I didn’t want to be a dance teacher. I also worked at Camp Riley, and that really piqued my interest.”

As a parent now, she said, she finds it rewarding to help empower other parents, “especially during hard procedures in the outpatient center, helping them understand what’s happening and helping them support their child through that process.”

Both women talk about how remarkable it is to see patients they knew as toddlers coming in as teens and older.

In Morgan’s case, she reconnected with a 25-year-old heart transplant recipient who came in for a heart cath recently.

“I looked at her name and her age and thought, ‘Oh my word!’ Her mom immediately embraced me.”

The child life team, which has grown from fewer than 10 two decades ago to 34 today (at Riley Downtown and IU Health North), has evolved from play-based care to so much more. They are called to assist with diagnostic and treatment education, end-of-life comfort, painful procedures and more.

“Not that we don’t still rely heavily on play to teach kids what to expect, but now it’s different,” Morgan said, explaining how she might put an anesthesia mask or a bandage on a child’s stuffed animal to explain a procedure.

“It is still play, but there is so much more meaning behind the play, and people recognize that,” she said.

“To see us grow clinically has been very rewarding,” Ali agreed. “Play might be the base, but there’s so much more we can do.”

And having the support of physicians, nurses and other specialists at Riley makes a difference.

“Our presence on the second floor with our surgeons and anesthesiologists has been valued and respected,” Morgan said.

That support extends to hospital leadership as well, she added, which is another reason she has stayed so long.

Morgan and Ali both have experienced the child life role from a parental perspective too, with their own kids having come to Riley to see cardiology, ENT, urology, ortho and other specialties.

The trust they have in their colleagues gives them comfort.

Jenna Yarnell, manager of the Child Life Department, said having team members like Morgan and Ali who have dedicated 20 years to Riley is special.

“They have made so many positive impacts, from creating child life programs in high-acuity areas, to taking child life to the outpatient center, and generally helping to expand the role of child life specialists at Riley,” she said. “They are amazing team members who care deeply about the patients and families they serve, creating great experiences and helping families cope with difficult diagnoses and procedures.

“I am so thankful to have such kind, caring and compassionate team members who are willing to jump in and help anywhere and who provide such a great model of professionalism for the other members of my team,” Yarnell added. “Thank you so much, Lindsay and Megan, for 20 amazing years at Riley.”

Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org