The Hero’s Journey

University of Miami, Holtz Children’s Hospital, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

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This four-year, multi-faceted, family-centered care, arts in medicine project was developed by N.T. Hope and its collaborators to support families whose babies are born prematurely.

Dr. Lalinde at the project’s unveiling spoke about how the project came about. “I woke up one Saturday morning with an epiphany of how to bring hope to families in despair. I went to my computer and by noon the project idea was complete and I was calling Dr. del Moral at Holtz Children’s Hospital to see if she was willing.

I had been reading several books by Joseph Campbell - particularly his work about the Hero’s Journey, a mythical vision quest that he found to exist in all cultures. On this journey the hero lands in an alien environment where he experiences many tests and trials. The hero is always aided by a mentor or guide who helps him overcome the obstacles. He returns home changed forever and shares his vision for the benefit of others. It hit me that I had been on this journey, twice...once with my daughter’s birth, again with her death. I found comfort in perceiving those times of total despair as the impetus for my personal growth. My morning epiphany sprang from my desire to give others the opportunity to see their own tragedies from a hopeful perspective.”

Hope and Healing Expressive Arts Sessions

Miami Children’s Hospital, Michael Fux’s Center

In April, 2011, Dr. Lalinde was asked by Miami Children's hospital administration to develop a monthly healing arts session for the children in the inpatient psychiatric center at their hospital. One of the limitations expressed by the center's staff was for the sessions to be one-hour in length. It was believed that the children would have great difficulty staying on task. The staff agreed to experiment with a two-hour session in order to achieve the session’s goals. It worked and the children, ages 6 to 18 (divided into two separate age groups) are totally engaged!

Hope and Healing Session

Ronald McDonald House, Miami, Florida

Summer of 2011, Dr. Lalinde was spending more time on the University of Miami’s medical campus where Miami’s Ronald McDonald House is located.

“Every time I would pass the RMH building I would think about my own stay at a RMH in Chicago, Illinois. It was the summer of 1984. I flew from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic with my husband and newborn baby girl, to Chicago, Illinois. My daughter was hospitalized at Children’s Memorial Hospital for two months and I was able to stay at RMH and walk to the hospital just blocks away. I was so forever grateful.”

So I set up a meeting with Soraya Rivera-Moya, the Director of RMH in Miami to offer an expressive arts session for their families.

The Bridge of Hope

Miami Children’s Hospital

Flower of LifeIn April, 2010, N.T. Hope was asked by hospital administration to develop a healing arts program for the Haitian children who had been airlifted to Miami Children’s Hospital after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. The goal was to design a program that would express and support the children’s transition from the hospital into the community, the next phase in their delicate lives.

The hospital explained that the children were physically ready to leave the hospital but emotionally it was going to be difficult. It was going to be difficult for not only the children but also the physicians who had personally rescued them from the rubble, the staff who helped them heal and the social workers who had diligently secured social services and all the necessary documents for their future.

International Arts in Medicine Project - Changed by a Child

A Journey of Hope and Healing in Montero, Bolivia

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Dr. Lalinde joined four U.S.-based pediatricians in May, 2009 for a Rosa Vera Fund expedition to Montero, Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. There they provided specialized care to children with special health care needs and their families. Dr. Lalinde was invited as the journalist and interviewed the many families who benefit from the Rosa Vera Fund’s work. Dr. Lalinde documented her experiences in Montero through prose and poetry and developed a small booklet that the Rosa Vera Fund uses to fundraise for ongoing support for the children and families in Montero. To learn more about the Rosa Vera Fund visit www.rosaverafund.org