A family's wish

The Brady family dreamed of the day they would be able to spend time as a family outside of their home or the hospital. Because their youngest daughter Raine requires intensive medical support to live, it seemed that day may never come until Children's Hospital's Pallitive Care team stepped in. 

Called "The Pelican Krewe," the Children's Hospital Palliative Care team is a family-centered interdisciplinary program that cares for the body, mind, and spirit of children living with serious illnesses and their families. The mission of The Pelican Krewe is to help patients feel better through physical, psychosocial, and quality of life care. 

For the Brady family and their four-year old daugher, Raine, a focus in their care journey has been spending time together as a family. Raine needs the support of a tracheostomy and a ventilator to breathe, and for her entire life, Raine's mother has worked to protect her from infections making it difficult for her to enjoy and experience the world outside of their home. Raine's mother shared with the team that she hoped to one day bring her daughter to the aquarium and have dinner as a family. With that, Children's Hospital's Pelican Krewe took on the challenge of making their wish come true. The Krewe worked with the hospital's transport team, pharmacy, nursing, patient safety and quality, legal, social work, child life, the Make-A-Wish foundation, the Audubon Aquarium, and Houston’s Restaurant to make a miracle happen for Raine and her family.

Raine and the entire Brady family enjoyed the experience of a lifetime on her after-hours, VIP tour of the aquarium. She was transported to the aquarium, then back to the hospital with her comfort and safety as the team's top priority. The Brady family enjoyed an unforgettable, four-hour aquarium tour which included special experiences like petting penguins, playing with otters, feeding sting rays, and a backstage perspective of the aquarium. The night ended with a family dinner provided by Houston's under the aquarium’s Mayan tunnel as divers fed the fish above them. The Brady family now remembers this as the best day of their lives. 

It was the first time the Bradys could come together as a family since February, when Raine was admitted to Children's Hospital, and for the first time in five months, the Brady family was able to enjoy time with Raine while trusting that she was safe and well-cared for.