Luke Amoloyan, who is almost 2-years old, loves to play. One summer day, Luke and his family were playing outside. Suddenly, he fell and injured himself. His mother, Molly, acted quickly and took him to a local hospital.
After being examined, it was recommended that Luke be transported to Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach for treatment, where doctors and programs specialize exclusively in kids. Molly had never been to Miller Children’s before, but was happy when she arrived. “It was nice to be somewhere that was centered around kids,” says Molly. “The care that Luke received was awesome.”
After being seen by Emory Chang, M.D., orthopedic pediatric surgeon, Miller Children’s, Luke was diagnosed with a broken femur and spiral fracture. Luke was fitted with a Spica cast, which rendered him immobile for five weeks. It was a sudden change for a boy who loved to be active.
Molly also faced challenges — with a smaller baby at home, she needed to prepare. “I had started researching Luke’s condition and what to expect,” she says. One of the problems she faced was car seats. “I knew that I would need to get a new car seat, but many were not compatible with Luke’s cast.”
Fortunately for Molly, the Injury Prevention Program at Miller Children’s purchases specialty seats for families to use temporarily as a means to help alleviate the financial strain. There is no service or rental fee for Miller Children’s families who borrow the specialized car seats, and once a family is no longer in need of the car seat, it is returned to the hospital.
In order to ensure specialty car seat inventory is always current and well-maintained, Miller Children’s has a partnership with Tot Squad – a local baby gear service that offers baby gear cleaning, car seat installation and stroller repairs. Tot Squad’s team of certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians ensure each car seat has not yet expired, inspects it for visible damage, then cleans and returns it to Miller Children’s for future use by other pediatric patients.
“Patients are able to get a clean, inspected seat that will meet their needs and help ensure that they travel safely regardless of their condition,” says Christine Marten, M.A., CCC-SLP, manager, Pediatric Rehabilitation Program, Miller Children’s. “With the help of Tot Squad and the Injury Prevention Program at Miller Children’s, families can have their child travel safely, without the financial burden of purchasing a specialty car seat weighing on their shoulders.”
Molly was offered one of these car seats onsite. “I was very relieved,” says Molly, “It was nice to have the right car seat. I didn’t have to run around looking for one.” In addition to a car seat, Luke needed a wheelchair for mobility, which Miller Children’s was able to set him up from a third party.
For five weeks, Molly, Luke and his baby sister were homebound. “It was challenging,” admits Molly. After a little over a month, the Amoloyans were able to pull through and now the cast is finally off.
“Luke is doing very well,” says Molly, “He’s walking independently now.” After the cast was removed, Molly was able to conveniently return the car seat for future families to use.
These days, Luke is well on his way to recovery, and playing in the pool acts as his rehabilitation. “We are encouraged by Luke’s progress,” says Molly. “The best physical therapy now is play.”
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