Everything Under The Sun: The Comfort Of Hot Wheels Cars

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

The Comfort Of Hot Wheels Cars

A Utah security officer brought Ethan a box of Hot Wheels toys.

It's not the way anyone, much less a three-year-old boy, would be wanting to spend Easter and a birthday. But Ethan Carnesecca had developed pneumonia and more severe complications, including a collapsed lung. He's been in the hospital for a few weeks during the beautiful spring weather and his world has been full of surgeries, doctors, nurses, health crises, chest tubes, and IV fluids during his stay at PRIMARY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL in Salt Lake City. After all, if you're a parent and your child ends up at Primary Children's, the illness is serious, indeed.

But amid all of the complications and medical procedures, the doctors and nurses treating him have found that Hot Wheels cars bring him comfort. That's one really wonderful thing about health care professionals - they look to find what helps calm the spirit in any patient - big or small. Michele Carnesecca, Ethan's mom, said, "They're all aware of how important these cars are. They don't touch the pillows. They don't take them out of his hands. [Before each procedure] they'll run around the hospital trying to find a car for him." You see, it does help in the healing process to keep a child calm - it reduces the pain, helps the immune system fight the infection, and speeds up the recovery after surgery.

Then, one of dad Chad's friends, who writes a blog about Hot Wheels cars, heard about the boy's illness and his love of the very same cars and asked dad if he could write a POST about him. So he was given the okay. Then a rather unusual thing began to happen. People who didn't know little Ethan started sending him Hot Wheels cars. According to Chad, "People from Malaysia, Europe, all over the Orient [have sent Hot Wheels cars]. It's been pretty amazing just to see people reach out."

So now, the doctors and nurses don't have to rush around the hospital any more for Hot Wheels cars. Ethan has a whole parking lot full of cars on his bed whenever he wants and needs them. And the family and Ethan are comforted by the fact that a whole world's worth of people are reaching out and supporting them and their little boy through this illness that became bigger than they would have imagined.