Surgery can be scary, certainly – even more so for children. Operations to alter a person’s body can trigger anxiety about what’s expected and what’s unknown, and when the person is younger, with less life experience, fear can feel amplified.
That’s why Ashley Dashnaw, a certified surgical technologist at AnMed Medicus Surgery Center, and Dr. Justin Way, an ear, nose and throat specialist with AnMed, wrote “Jane Gets Her Tonsils Out.” The book provides a different way to help children prepare for tonsillectomies – by informing them, assuring them and comforting them through fiction.
Children can easily identify with Jane, and by reading along as she navigates her journey through surgery, they can be put more at ease.
The book by Dashnaw and Dr. Way was published on Amazon last year.
“I scrubbed with Dr. Way and the other ENT doctors in the OR and noticed so many kids coming back scared and terrified,” Dashnaw said. “I wanted to find the reason why some children came back calm and happy, and why the others kicked and screamed.
“My daughter at the time was 6 years old when she had her tonsils out, and she did amazing. I talked with her and told her all about what to expect, who she would see and the noises she would hear. I realized that preparation was the key! And Dr. Way agreed. The kids who did so well were prepared.”
Tonsillectomies are among the most common childhood surgeries performed in the U.S., with more 500,000 performed annually in children under age 15, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sleep-disordered breathing and recurrent throat infections are common reasons for the surgery.
Dr. Way dedicated “Jane Gets Her Tonsils Out” to his former ENT partner Dr. Lawton Salley, who died unexpectedly last year.
“The idea for this book was conceived out of multiple conversations that Ashley and I had surrounding improving patients’ experiences,” said Dr. Way. “We were trying to figure out ways to help patients, especially children, understand what will be going on in surgery. It can be extremely scary and anxiety-provoking for these kids. Many times, their imaginations run wild with what will happen to them.
“We first talked about videos, but then Ashley had the idea of creating a series of children’s books that would explain the process in a simple way. Once that idea was conceived, we became more and more excited as the book took shape. During our development, my partner Dr. Salley passed away suddenly. He was one of my mentors, and we thought what better way to honor him than to dedicate this book to his memory. He took care of thousands of children over his career and would have been proud of this book.”
Dashnaw said the book has been well received.
“A few of our patients are now asking questions prior to surgery, which I really believe is a huge step in their experience,” Dashnaw said. “They are asking, ‘Can I have Chick-fil-A after getting my tonsils out,’ or saying, ‘I have a freezer at home full of ice cream!" So not only are the parents taking care of their children, but the children are also taking accountability in their recovery.”
The book also provides opportunity for the team at AnMed to deliver important messages to families in positions like Jane’s.
“We want every child coming back to surgery to know they will be taken care of, and we want them to have a great experience despite the surgery itself,” Dashnaw said. “We want parents to be assured that we will treat their children the same as if our children were having the surgery.”
To learn more about AnMed’s ENT services, visit anmed.org/services/ear-nose-throat.
To order the book, search for “Jane Gets Her Tonsils Out” on Amazon.com.