Shannon Dingus

Radiation Therapist, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Health

Yale New Haven Hospital

When it comes to patient care, little things can make a world of difference. And for one special pediatric patient at Yale New Haven’s Smilow Cancer Hospital, that was the world of make believe on a very significant day – her last radiation treatment.

Shannon Dingus, radiation therapist, Smilow Cancer Hospital, was scheduled to provide the final treatment for a 3-year-old girl. She decided to create a very special plan – to treat the patient like a princess – literally.

Knowing the girl loved Disney, Shannon coordinated with her daughter, Eilee Dingus, an observation associate in the hospital’s Adult Emergency Department, who in her spare time just happens to play Disney princesses at children’s parties. Shannon and Eilee created a special princess dress, shoes, and crown for the patient to wear to her final treatment. Upon the patient’s arrival with her mom, Eilee met her dressed in a matching costume as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.”

“We had been treating this 3-year-old girl for some time, knew her family well, and knew she loved Disney princesses,” said Shannon. “My daughter makes all her costumes and loves working with children. About two weeks before our little girl was supposed to finish, I started asking permission that we wanted Eilee and this patient to wear matching princess outfits for her final treatment. The support from senior leadership was phenomenal. My daughter added gold lace, rhinestones, and trim, and the dress looked beautiful. We also created sparkly shoes and a crown for her, too.”

The plan was all set and in place, but treatment day was the day of a nationwide software outage, and the machines were down for a short period of time. However, quick thinking and a lot of hard work by the hospital’s information technology and facilities made the day a success, and the little girl couldn’t have been happier.

“There were not a lot of dry eyes at all among the staff when they saw her eyes light up, dressed in her princess outfit,” said Eilee. “Senior leadership was so supportive and enthusiastic – it was an amazing team effort that made this day so special. We were so grateful that the machines all came back online in time for her to get her last treatment. So, this was special for many reasons.”

“Not only was this an amazing experience for the little girl and her family, but it was also just as amazing for the staff,” said Shannon. “If not for the cooperation of many, many people across multiple disciplines of care, I’m not sure we could have helped this family celebrate like this. Every step of the way, people went out of their way to make this day as memorable as possible. Her mother and the entire family have expressed their gratitude many times for making such a beautiful experience for their child.”

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