JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wolfson Children’s Hospital uses a furry four-legged friend to help children battle life-threatening illnesses.
For many years, dogs have been used as service animals. Police use dogs to sniff out illegal drugs and explosives and track down missing people.
In the area of medicine, certain dogs are trained to detect seizures in humans. Wolfson Children’s Hospital is now using a Golden Retriever named Jude to help patients with various life-threatening illnesses. He’s three years old.
After Jude and his owner and handler underwent special training, Jude’s first patient was a 12-year-old girl named Kathryn Rudder. Her story and Jude’s story began back in the fall of 2023 when Rudder was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a life-threatening form of blood cancer. Her cancer diagnosis took her parents by complete surprise.
“It was devastating. There were no words,” said Robert Rudder, who is Kathryn’s father.
Kathryn needed a bone marrow transplant to survive. When one finally became available, she still spent a long time in the hospital undergoing numerous medical procedures that left her dazed and confused.
“It was like days slammed together. I didn’t know what day, any days were,” said Kathryn Rudder.
“Kathryn spent more days in the hospital than at home over the last year,” said Laura Rudder, Kathryn’s mother.
While Kathryn was still bedridden in her hospital room, the hospital began a new K-9 program. The program’s goal was to use fully vetted and trained dogs as therapy animals that could help young patients get through their day-to-day treatments and medical procedures that at times can be physically and mentally painful.
Jude is the first dog to be used at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. His owner and handler is Kara Williams, a Wolfson Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist.
“My role is to alleviate stress and anxiety for patients and their families when they come to the hospital and Jude is one of my tools in my toolbox. He works with me in the hospital 40 hours a week,” Williams said.
“Kathryn had multiple bedside procedures, so Jude was able to be in the room and climb up in bed with her, so Kathryn spent more time focused on Jude and not the procedures she was having to endure. It was an absolute blessing for her to have Jude by her side,” Laura Rudder said.
“It was super heartwarming and all that,” Kathryn Rudder said.
In Kathryn’s case, Jude was a great distraction for her during times when she was undergoing painful treatments including chemotherapy.
“He’s fantastic with distractions. Part of my job is to come up with coping plans for patients when they are here in the hospital. So, if it’s prepping for a procedure, we come up with a coping plan. Sometimes Jude is that coping plan; laying on a patient bed and providing that deep pressure comfort hold, or doing therapeutic interventions with patients, he provides a great coping tool for patients,” Williams said.
“Having Kara and Jude in the Child Life Program at Wolfson’s Hospital changed everything for us going through this journey. It brought hope that we needed day in and day out. The doctors here at Wolfson saved Kathryn’s life. Kara and Jude save her spirit,” Kathryn’s Rudder said.
Kathryn Rudder is now doing much better. Seeing her interaction with Jude encouraged her parents to launch the Kathryn Rudder Foundation.
“It is designed to help kids and families who are dealing with the same things that we have. It is so important to use to show our gratitude towards Child Life that we went through our first fundraiser as an organization and our first donation will be going to Kara and Jude to support their day-to-day expenses,” Robert Rudder said.
The K-9 program has become such a success that according to Williams, the hospital is considering the idea of bringing in more fully trained and vetted dogs to help more children get through their illnesses.