Sarah Björklund’s child, 5-year-old Vincent, has a serious heart condition and is therefore forced to spend a lot of time in hospital. The difficult treatments have been facilitated by hospital dogs – but now the dogs have been fired. – It is a devastating decision that the hospital management has made, says Sarah Björklund. Vincent Björklund, 5, was born with a serious heart defect and asthma. During her early life, mother, Sarah Björklund, drove a shuttle service between home and hospital. The many procedures have been tough for Vincent to handle. – He had several heart defects and was urgently flown to a children’s hospital when he was born. When he turned one, we had visited the hospital on average once a week, says Sarah Björklund. “Could mean he won’t survive” Vincent is sometimes panicked before the interventions his heart requires. According to Sarah Björklund, it used to require someone to hold him – before he got to meet the hospital dogs at Akademiska in Uppsala for the first time. – He fights, kicks and cries in total panic. The nurses had a hard time handling him, then a nurse suggested that Vincent should be allowed to see the dogs. It went great – and he really needs these treatments. If he gets sick, it could mean he won’t survive, a whooping cough is enough, says Sarah Björklund. The dogs get the leg But this week the hospital management decided to stop funding the hospital dogs, who were then fired. According to the decision, the operation was too expensive. The decision was implemented on Monday and when Vincent was to receive his injection without the dogs, there was a dead end. – It is a super important activity for children when for my son it is such a panic-filled environment where a lot of negative things happen. how fun it is to do all these procedures that his body requires. Successful fundraising can save the business Sarah Björklund has now started a collection of names in the hope of getting the hospital dogs back. In less than two days, over 600 people have signed. – I would like to say to the hospital management; return our dogs – and try to explain what happens to the children when they meet the dogs. No matter how much panic can disappear, it is a panic that no child should have to feel, she says. The collection of names must be submitted to the hospital board in connection with a meeting to be held in a month’s time. Sarah Björklund hopes that the dogs can come back as soon as possible. – A doctor I spoke to tells me that children leave the hospital crying now, she says.
t4-general
Anger as dogs removed from hospital: ‘Devastating’
