A Growing Green

A weary mother needs a breath of fresh air.

A child awaiting a life-saving heart transplant wants to feel the sun on his skin. An overwhelmed physician on a particularly hard day just wants to step outside and see the bright blue sky.

Life inside a hospital, no matter the reason for a visit, can be frightening and at times chaotic. Imagine walking through the hospital doors and instead of hearing machines beeping and whirring, elevators opening and shutting, or phones ringing you hear birds cheerfully chirping or better yet, a welcomed silence.

This transformation from chaos to calm is happening every day at Le Bonheur, thanks to Le Bonheur Green, an interactive outdoor space for children and their families.

“As a Certified Child Life specialist at Le Bonheur, the motto of ‘kids need more than medicine to get well’ became engrained in my way of thinking,” said Jessica Liles, director of Volunteer & Family Support at Le Bonheur. “Before Le Bonheur Green, families often expressed how they wished we had a safe and relaxing outdoor space.”

Le Bonheur Art director Linda Hill echoes this sentiment.

“It’s been a dream to provide the ability for kids to go outside the hospital walls,” said Hill.

This dream became a reality when the first donor family stepped up. The family’s son had received a transplant, and they had remained in the hospital for quite some time. With the financial support of this family, Le Bonheur was able to start the project with the addition of a labyrinth — with an 8-foot butterfly in the center — in a park-like setting.

Soon after, more donors felt compelled to help, including Mid-South Transplant Foundation, who provided support with the addition of a reflective pavilion.

Phase 1, which debuted at a May 2022 ribbon cutting, is a serene place for children and their families to find peace and tranquility for prayer, meditation and reflection, or simply a safe space to take a deep breath and release stress they’ve held for far too long.

Serene gardens feature sculptures, benches and fragrant flowers. The center area showcases a walking path in the shape of Le Bonheur’s famous heart. Patients can look out the hospital windows and see the heart path — a reminder of the whole-hearted and compassionate care they’re receiving. As parents enjoy a short break on the Green, siblings find an empty area to run off steam.

“When the weather has been nice and allowed for outdoor sessions, my patients and I have enjoyed our ‘instrument picnics’ where we set a blanket down to lay out instruments and play music together,” said Courtney Rosewall, Board Certified Music Therapist. “There was also a time when a patient and I played in the snow and sang as many songs as we could think of about snow and cold weather.”

Thanks to a generous gift from Dave North of Sedgwick, Phase 2 is currently being planned and will be closer to the hospital itself with more whimsy and playfulness. It will feature an art installation created by Yvonne Bobo to honor Sid Wilroy, MD, a beloved long-time Le Bonheur physician and artist. Commissioned by the Wilroy family, the piece honors Dr. Wilroy who offered so much to the world around him. Also planned for Le Bonheur Green is a rehab garden — donated by Le Bonheur Club — specifically for patients and their care teams. The garden will be badge-accessed and offer children a private area where they can play or complete rehab exercises without being confined to the hospital.

“This project is truly for the well-being of everyone involved,” said Hill. “Nature and being outside feeds the soul and renews strength in a way that can be lost sitting inside of a hospital.”

Although Le Bonheur Green has already met many needs and wishes of those who dreamed up the project, the dreamers aren’t finished yet. The team envisions chimes and music and even more engaging activities.

“Le Bonheur Green is used daily by patients, families, friends and Associates,” said Liles. “I’ve witnessed strolls, picnics, birthday parties and community celebrations. Each phase of the project brings a blend of whimsy and function, ensuring that Le Bonheur continues to meet the holistic needs of patients and families.”

This massive project’s positive impact will be felt by patients, their loved ones and Le Bonheur staff for decades to comes, said Hill. The first seed couldn’t have been planted without the generosity of donors. This multi-million dollar project will be 100% donor-funded, a true testament to the compassionate support found in Le Bonheur donors.