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LONG BRANCH, NJ, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 – The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center recently hosted an event to celebrate its biggest friend.
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Monmouth Medical Center internist Jeffrey C Lederman, D.O., was among the many visitors to a book signing at The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center for a children’s book depicting the adventures of Norman, the 200-pound English mastiff shown here with Karen Leahey, the Colts Neck resident and Norman’s handler who wrote and illustrated the book. |
The event, a book signing, marked the publication of Norman: Special Delivery, the first in a series of children’s books depicting the adventures of Norman, a 200-pound English mastiff. Karen Leahey, Colts Neck resident and Norman’s handler, wrote and illustrated the book, which details his first days as a volunteer with Monmouth Medical Center’s Pet Therapy Program.
Norman, who was born January 20, 2007, first met Leahey, a self-taught artist, when he was just 10 weeks old and weighed a mere 32 pounds. According to Leahey, who drives him to various medical facilities for his volunteer work, it was love at first sight.
Norman is able to “lumber down the halls of a hospital because he is a licensed therapy dog, and is permitted to go where most creatures with tails are not,” notes a Web site dedicated to Norman
“My favorite place to volunteer is The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth,” according to Norman’s Web site. “My visits help to cheer the children up. In other words, I make them smile, and they inspire me.”
The use of therapy dogs has been shown to help reduce stress for pediatric patients and their families. The Children’s Hospital’s team of volunteer handlers and therapy animals provide positive interactions that bring the unconditional love of an animal to the bedside, which contributes to the emotional and physical healing process.
In addition to Norman, pet therapy dogs who visit The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth weekly include Tilly, an English bull dog, Abbie Rose, a West Highland terrier, and Buddy, a golden retriever. Adult patients also benefit from the Pet Therapy Program at Monmouth, with regular visits to the Radiology Department by a beagle named Wally.
The book signing for Norman: Special Delivery was held outside the Monmouth Medical Center Gift Shop, which is located in the main lobby and is its shelves with the Norman book series. The series will continue this fall with Norman Goes to the Park and Norman’s Breeds A to Z. All three titles have been published by Peapod Press, an imprint of PublishingWorks, Inc., from Exeter, N.H.
To learn more about Norman, visit his web site at www.normansbooks.com.
CONTACT: Kristine Brown
Director of Public Relations at
(732) 557-3902
krbrown@barnabashealth.org
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