flashinthepan

A few weeks ago my wife and I noticed that our 3 month old son had an inguinal hernia. We knew we’d have to have something done about it eventually, but since it didn’t seem to be causing any problems, we were in no particular hurry to subject him to surgery. We took our son to see his GP, and she wasn’t concerned about it at all. She did refer us to a pediatrician for an unrelated issue that turned out to be nothing.

When we saw the pediatrician, she said something would have to be done about the hernia and started the procedure of referring us to a surgeon at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The hospital would phone us when they were ready for us to bring in our son for a consult.

On Thursday afternoon however, things became a little more urgent and my wife ended up taking him to the emergency room at the Alberta Children’s Hospital here in Calgary. Now, I’m not a big fan of the medical system. I think as a society we tend to intervene a little too much in the body’s God given ability to heal itself. That being said however, it definitely has its place and I’m quite thankful that it’s there for those times that it’s really needed.

My wife stayed at the hospital with our son from the time he was admitted on Thursday afternoon, until he was discharged late Saturday morning. The doctors and nurses at the Alberta Children’s Hospital were very supportive and you could tell that they really care about the children and the families under their care.

Dr. Mary Brindle and her team who performed our son’s surgery were very good. They made sure that we understood what was going to happen and the associated risks involved. When the surgery was complete, Dr. Brindle came to talk to us to let us know that it went very well and that there were no complications.

Our son is back to his normal, happy self and we are quite glad. I would like to offer a great big kudos to all the doctors and nurses at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Thank you so much for being there and for the caring work that you do.

If you’re a fan of theatre and the arts and you’re looking for a family-friendly activity in Calgary that is enjoyable for children and adults alike, StoryBook Theatre may be exactly what you are looking for.

Being the parents of five small children ranging in ages from 3 months through 9 years, my wife and I are always on the lookout for things we can do as a family. We found out about StoryBook Theatre from a friend who emailed us a copy of a poster for the Cookie Cabaret presentation of “The Fisherman & His Wife.”

The Cookie Cabaret performances are held at the Community Arts Centre on the Old Currie Barracks in StoryBook Theatre’s Easterbrook Theatre. These presentations are geared toward ages 3 through 6, but if the one we went to see is any indication, they are always fun for all ages. The “Fisherman & His Wife” was a very interactive production and was very professionally done. The set was painted very tastefully in bright colours that would appeal the the kid in any of us.

More recently we took in the Adventure Theatre production of “Harriet’s Halloween Candy.” The Adventure Theatre presentations are held at the Pumphouse Theatre and are for ages 6 through 12 years. We found that both our younger children and we ourselves enjoyed this one as well. Like the Cookie Cabaret, the set was bright and colourful, and was quite tastefully decorated. The performance was top-notch and included live song and some choreography.

StoryBook Theatre is definitely a family-friendly, fun-filled time and is worth checking out.

You can find more information on the StoryBook Theatre Web site here: http://www.storybooktheatre.org/