A Wisconsin doctor went above and beyond for one of his young patients - performing "surgery" on the little boy's much-loved stuffed toy. And his kind gesture is quickly going viral.
When nine-year-old Ryan, who has Down syndrome, presented to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to undergo surgery, he brought along his special friend from Monsters Inc.
While in hospital, Ryan's doctor, Dr. Travis Groth, noticed that the plush Mike Wazowski toy was looking a little worse for wear. And so, after operating on Mike's owner, Dr Groth took the time to fix him up too.
"He is extremely, extremely attached to his Mike Wazowski toy," Dr Groth told TODAY. "You might think this is his fourth or fifth one."
The 44-year-old added that for Ryan, the gesture made a huge difference. "It relaxes them and from a recovery aspect it helps that they can relate to something."
A photo of Dr Groth, operating on Mike, was posted to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's Facebook page, where it's since been shared almost 2,000 times.
"Our doctors, nurses and staff go out of their way to make sure every child feels comfortable and safe," the caption reads. "Whether it's stitching up their favourite toy or dressing up as their favourite character, we know how to make children feel better."
It's not the first time Dr. Groth has operated on his young patients' toys. Commenting on the hospital's Facebook post, one mum shared her own story of the urologist's kindness.
"Oh my goodness!!" she wrote. "It must have been him who stitched up my son's pillow pet monkey while we were there to see Dr. Groth last month!! He went in with duct tape on him (because stuffing was falling out and this mama doesn't know how to sew! I noticed when we got home that the monkey was stitched up!! Thank you so much, Dr. Groth!! That really meant a lot that you took the time to go the extra mile!!"
Other commenters added their own experiences of doctors going above and beyond when it came to their children's medical care.
When one little girl broke her leg, her stuffed animal came out with a cast, too.
"I love the fact they take the time out of their busy day to make that child feel comfortable," one commenter wrote, sharing that such gestures are not forgotten - even years later. "This happened to me. I went in for routine surgery and come out and my bear was prepped for surgery with a bonnet and mask. I just remember the comforting feeling that it gave me. Kudos to all the doctors that take the time to do this. Also remember it's not what they did but how it made me feel is what you remember."
Has your child ever had a similar experience?
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