Using humour to improve paediatric care

Doctor Ben Anderson first attended to Havana’s heart condition when she was only three months old — 12 years later he’s considered part of the family.

To Havana and her parents, there was no better way to express their deep appreciation and affection for “Dr Ben” than to nominate him in the Juiced TV Super Hero Awards, sponsored by QSuper (now part of Australian Retirement Trust).

Diagnosed with aortic stenosis at birth — a condition where the aortic valve is unable to open to full capacity — Havana requires ongoing treatment at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

With Dr Ben monitoring, diagnosing and performing interventions where necessary, she is now able to participate in school sport with her peers.

“Havana’s most recent surgery has meant she can run around and be a ‘normal’ child for the first time ever, which is incredible,” Havana’s mother, Jamie, said.

“Dr Ben is just like family. Havana trusts him in every sense, and if he tells her she is going to be okay she really does believe him.”

The centrepiece of Havana and Dr Ben’s unique relationship has been their shared humour, with the pair exchanging jokes every appointment without fail.

“I’m not sure when it started, but now before every appointment Havana will search the internet for a few jokes and save them to read to Dr Ben,” Jamie said.

Dr Ben’s sense of humour has been significant in making Havana feel less anxious about her hospital appointments.

“Using humour isn’t something that you learn to do. It is just a natural part of interacting with the patients, to put them at ease and make them feel that they can trust you,” Dr Ben said.

“The children, especially Havana, are funny. Their honest observations just make my day.”

Jokes aside, Dr Ben has also gone above and beyond in offering comfort and compassion to Havana. Jamie shared that Dr Ben made a detour every day of Havana’s last five-week admission to check in.

“Dr Ben just cares. My husband and I have always said if he ever left that hospital, we’d have to follow him. We just couldn’t go with somebody else, he’s amazing,” Jamie said.

This admiration is reciprocated with Dr Ben considering himself lucky to have been there for Havana and her family throughout her entire health journey.

“I am in a very privileged spot to watch kids like Havana grow up. You get to know them, watch them go through their developmental stages and grow up into little humans,” Dr Ben said.

“Being nominated was unexpected and touching. They’re the ones going through it day in and day out, but they still want to thank me. It is incredibly sweet.

“I can’t take full credit, of course. No individual can do any of this, it is always a team effort.

“We would like to thank Australian Retirement Trust and its QSuper team for making the awards possible; we’re grateful to have the platform to share everything that Dr Ben has done for us,” Jamie said.