DJ Carter is a frequent flyer in Seacrest Studios at Boston Children's Hospital - When the studio re-opened their doors to patient visitors following the pandemic in early 2023, he was first in line.
We checked in with Carter's mom to hear more about his journey at Boston Children's and in Seacrest Studios:
RSF: Can you tell us a little bit about Carter’s journey in the hospital?
Carter’s Mom: Carter was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia in December 2021. He was in the hospital from December-April and on 4/28/22 he got a stem cell transplant. He was discharged on 6/19/22. During that stay he was very sick and due to COVID the studio was not something he got involved with. Unfortunately, October 2022 Carter relapsed, and we were re-admitted 10/26/22. We went into this admission knowing we wanted to make it different, we had to, everything was still so raw. Carter started to interact with the studio through the hospital channel and text. He very quickly formed a special bond with Henry, who works in the studio, during the Halloween candy bracket challenge. From there the relationship between Carter and the studio grew. Carter is being admitted into the transplant unit in February of 2023 for a second stem cell transplant. Since he will not be able to go to the studio in person, the team is working hard to continue to keep him involved directly from his room.
RSF: What is Carter’s favorite Seacrest Studios event/game to join?
Carter’s Mom: Carter loves the bracket challenge and Bingo!
RSF: What shows has Carter produced in Seacrest Studios?
Carter’s Mom: Earlier this year he worked really hard on “Insect Bingo.” He also recently created a “slime commercial” and a video “Elves Escape” with his friend he met through the studio and hospital.
RSF: How would you explain Seacrest Studios to another parent?
Carter’s Mom: Trying to put my answer to this question in words is filling my eyes with tears. When your child is diagnosed with cancer so much is immediately stolen from them. I watched Carter go from a happy, creative, imaginative, innocent little boy to a boy who can explain more about blood counts, chemotherapy, and medications than all the adults in my life. The conversations he has with his newfound fellow warrior friends revolve around their journeys through this unimaginable world of cancer. However, in November after being involved with the studio I started to see the creative and imaginative side of Carter coming out. I saw parts of Carter I hadn’t seen in almost a year, parts of Carter I was afraid were gone forever. There really are not words to truly convey how much the Seacrest Studio and the relationships built through it mean to us.
