The Lamp & The Theater

When visiting a hospital, children can experience anxiety, uncertainty and helplessness surrounding an unknown situation. Medical facilities are often an unfamiliar setting and offer no sense of comfort or peace of mind. This was a common theme we heard while working with the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, especially for a young boy named Drew.

Drew’s experience was like that of many pediatric patients; the nursing staff and doctors were attentive and kind, but regular testing and injections created stress and fear. So, to help ease his mind, Drew decided to bring one of his most valued possessions to the hospital — a red, bedside lamp. To most, this lamp was seen as a source of light. For Drew, it offered a sense of control. A familiar and comforting reminder of normalcy and a spark of hope when life felt overwhelming. Which is precisely what he needed to help cope with the unknown.

Ever since, we’ve used his story as motivation to create warm, remarkable experiences for pediatric healthcare facilities. Interactive activations that not only provide a fun, much-needed distraction but also offer healing benefits for the smallest of patients. For us, Drew’s story still resonates because his lamp was so much more than that — it was a guiding light.