Winter 2008-2009 - Mayo Clinic

Rioghna’s story
When Rioghna Pittock had surgery to reverse an ostomy
she’d had since age 2, her siblings, Hannah, 10, and John, 8,
didn’t realize how sick their 5-year-old sister would look
when they visited her in the hospital.
“Everyone in the family was very excited as Rioghna
kissed her siblings goodbye the morning of the surgery,” says
their mother, Siobhan Pittock, M.D., a consultant in Pediatrics
and Endocrinology and instructor in pediatrics at Mayo
Clinic. “The other kids expected Rioghna to be just as excited
as she was before the surgery. They were quite shocked when
she appeared tired and pale. Child Life staff distracted them
with toys and crafts so they had time to adjust.”
“It’s never a good situation when a child is in the
hospital. I’m so glad Mayo has tremendous Child Life
services because not every hospital does,” says Dr. Pittock.
“It was a good experience for me to be on the side of
benefiting from Child Life services because I promote them
to my patients. It’s good to see firsthand that what I tell
patients and their families is so true. Child Life staff are
excellent extenders of the care we provide. As far as I’m
concerned, Child Life services are a vital, essential part of
pediatric care at Mayo. They notice things about family
dynamics that providers may not notice, and the children
sometimes tell them things they don’t tell us.”
Rioghna Pittock when she was in the hospital (above)
and today (left), with her family: (clockwise from top
left) Dr. Sean Pittock, a Mayo Clinic neurologist;
Dr. Siobhan Pittock; baby brother Fionn; brother
John; and older sister Hannah.
6 | Mayo Alumni Winter 2009