Miracle Monday: Musical therapy making a positive impact on pediatric patients

February 14, 2022 6:48 AM

Emily Blume,

Posted: February 14, 2022 6:48 AM

Updated: January 20, 2023 7:04 PM

by Emily Blume

SPOKANE, Wash. — Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital is always at the forefront of giving great care, and a big part of that care is providing a variety of different therapies to determine which one individual patient responds best to.

Just recently, Fallyn Jones and her family spent a few weeks at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. They were offered a lot of different therapies, but it was the melodies provided by her musical therapist that she responded best to.

“In the hospital, a large part of what I do is working on coping skills, creating an environment for young patients to thrive and express their emotions and to normalize the environment that can be really scary,” explained Maria Meeds, a Musical Therapist at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.

Last fall, Kate Jones got the call every parent fears. Her daughter had collapsed on the playground.

“Fallyn had a brain bleed which caused her to have a stroke. She was completely paralyzed on her left side,” Kate Jones explained.

Fast forward a few months and today, things are much different.

“Fallyn is doing amazing. She’s back to school, she’s been back for about 3 weeks,” Jones told us.

There’s a lot that contributed to Fallyn’s recovery, but one thing in particular really stood out amongst the others for the Jones family. That was musical therapy.

Initially, Fallyn couldn’t engage, but with time, things progressed.

“It was so motivating for her to play the instruments and she wanted so badly that she would, it was really cool,” Maria remembered. She encourages her patients to return to that natural state of play they may have lost during their time at the hospital.

“These are the tools I can bring you, now run with them,” Maria said. And, for Fallyn Jones, it worked.

It’s the donors of the Children’s Miracle Network that make this kind of care possible. If you’d like to support programs, just like this one, you can donate to the Children’s Miracle Network. 100% of your proceeds will stay right here in our own community. You can donate here!