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Father, volunteer tackles fun, fears at Parents Night Out

by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
When Columbia attorney David Massey steps into the halls of MUSC Children’s Hospital, he’s genuinely happy to be there.

David Massey, center, visits with parents during the Oct. 3 Parents Night Out at the Children’s Hospital.

For a couple of hours each month, Massey has brought goodwill and solace in the form of food, fellowship and laughter to dozens of parents of the medical center’s pediatric patients. Like the many tired, worried and frustrated parents or guardians who have kept vigil over the recovery of a beloved child, he knows what its like to cope with a child’s  illness.

Years ago  his eldest son, Ryan (now 17-years-old), was born several weeks premature. He was sent to MUSC for long-term care at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. In addition, his youngest son, John Dalton, was recently diagnosed and treated for a rare blood disorder also at MUSC. Massey, like countless of other parents, had struggled with the sleepless nights, endless anxiety and dwindling resources that can stress even the most stable families. Now a father of three, Massey wants to assist parents and their families who share the same experiences. 

“No parent should ever have to endure that amount of stress and anxiety and feel totally isolated,” Massey said.

For the past year, Massey has teamed with the staff at MUSC’s Child Life Department to coordinate and organize a program that would support parents of pediatric patients admitted to the hospital’s seventh and eight  floor units, pediatric cardiology intensive care, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units and General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). He agreed to host a Parents Night Out program each month providing participants with delicious foods, fine camaraderie and a break away from the stressful routines of worry and helplessness while nursing their child through an injury or severe illness.

Massey relies on Child Life manager Sandra Oberman and her staff including guest relations representative Dee Dee Squires and Children’s Hospital volunteer coordinator Christine Messick to help draw up the list of invitees from the current patient list. The staff issues invitations or tickets, usually two per child, for the event. Massey dedicates an evening each month to purchase or cater enough food for everyone to enjoy. Guests, sometimes between 30 to 60 people, can drop-in at anytime to sit, eat and mingle during the two-to-three-hour event.

“David Massey came to us with a special vision of how to help families,” Oberman said. “He is a unique individual with a combination of caring, energy and commitment. These parent dinners have become an important part of the special care the Children’s Hospital provides.”

An engaging man with an easy smile, Massey greets each person who enters the room inside the Children’s Hospital quickly helping them to relax and feel at ease. Tonight, he’s brought an array of comfort foods: pizza, boiled shrimp, barbecue ribs, chips, cake and other assorted goodies for everyone to feast on. He talks, listens and sometimes introduces families to each other often linking neighbors of the same town or individuals with other common anxieties. For fun, Massey performs some magic and a little slight-of-hand with each group—a good icebreaker for this type of occasion. 

“When a child gets sick it’s easy for a parent to withdraw from family and their everyday world around them,” Massey said. “Having this program gives families a chance to get out and leave their child’s side—even for just a little bit—to be refreshed. It promotes that whatever the outcome, love always wins.” 

Asked what drives someone like himself to do what he does, Massey’s answer is simple but modest. 

“I honestly feel that I’m the luckiest and most blessed man in the world,” he said. “As a child, I was raised to always give back unconditionally to others. It’s an effort I want to live up to and teach my children to live up to.”

Massey, who has volunteered at various children’s hospitals for more than 20 years, also shares his time with another goodwill program, “Children’s Chance,” a private, nonprofit program coordinated in the Midlands that’s dedicated to supporting parents and families with children diagnosed with cancer. He is an advocate for children who are hospitalized with these  illnesses.

At MUSC, Massey’s support has been steady and ongoing since January. Currently, he’s looking for local volunteers and businesses who feel the same compassion to help maintain this monthly program and get involved.

“Sometimes parents need to receive a hug or find some type of reassurance to know that everything will be okay,” Massey said. “A hug or touch from another caring individual also touches a child. There’s so much stress involved in handling a child’s illness that it often leads to uncertainty, fear, and pressure on a marriage and family. Having this type of break gives parents a chance to relax. It’s like having a breath of fresh air.”

Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.