The Stollery Children’s Hospital has become a leader in pain management worldwide, recognized by ChildKind International for how it treats, manages and assesses pain.
For patients like Ben Thomas, that certification means his family knows that his pain will be taken seriously.
“It’s been, as sad as it is to say, like a second home for us,” said Erica Thomas, Ben’s mom. “They treat Ben like he’s one of their own.”
Ben was diagnosed with kidney cancer when he was five years old. He went through 10 months of treatment before he rang the bell at the Stollery Children’s Hospital oncology department.
Unfortunately, when he was 11, the cancer came back.
The family said how the Stollery addresses, assesses and treats pain has changed in those five and a half years.
“As a parent, I think any parent can say, like nobody likes to see their kid in pain,” Erica said. “It’s (treating and managing pain) ingrained in the culture of the hospital.”
From numbing cream before every needle to clear explanations before procedures, Erica said staff at the hospital take a proactive approach.
“They made Ben part of his own pain management program.”
“Anything that we can do to minimize the pain, it makes my job easier to look after him, it makes him not so scared to come in, it makes our conversations more light-hearted and less about the fears of different procedures.”
Even when Ben had to undergo major procedures without being put to sleep because of his health, the team found ways to minimize his pain and fear.
Ben’s strongest memory from one procedure isn’t pain, it’s debating Crocs versus Birkenstocks with an anesthesiologist.
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Those experiences are why Erica now serves as a parent advisor on the ChildKind Committee, advocating for pain care that considers both physical and emotional impact.
“Parents bring a different perspective,” she explains.
“Doctors and nurses are amazing, but parents see the emotional pain, too.”
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She recalled how Ben now refuses numbing cream, not because it doesn’t work, but because the smell triggers memories from earlier treatment. Staff still offer it, but they respect his choice.
The ChildKind accreditation ensures that every staff member at the hospital is trained in pain management, the process is standardized, and doesn’t just include front-line health-care staff.
“Our entire Stollery, from the leadership down to housekeeping, non-patient-facing services, all had to say pain matters to us,” Angela Bokenfohr, clinical nurse specialist for pediatric trauma and surgery, said.
“When I’m delivering a food tray and I see a kid in pain, that matters to me. I wanna do something right here, right now.”
Bokenfohr said unmanaged pain can have lasting consequences.
“In the short-term, it increases suffering and trauma,” she explains.
“In the long-term, it can change how the brain processes pain.”
When acute pain isn’t managed effectively, Bokenfohr said children are at higher risk of developing chronic pain, increased sensitivity, longer hospital stays and even differences in cognitive development.
At the Stollery, pain management follows the internationally recognized “3P” approach, including pharmacological (medication), physical (ice, heat, repositioning, splints, movement and rest) and psychological (distraction, comfort holds, reassurance and emotional support).
Bokenfohr said they combine one of each “p” for patients in each situation.
Tools like comfort holds, where children are held by a trusted caregiver during procedures, and devices like Buzzy, which uses vibration to interrupt pain signals, have become standard practice.
“These are simple things,” she says. “But they change everything.”
The Stollery is one of only 23 hospitals worldwide to receive ChildKind certification — a designation that embeds pediatric pain management into every level of care.
Along with the Stollery, the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary and the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton are also certified.
Certification requires institutional commitment, standardized assessment tools, education for all staff, including non-clinical roles, and continuous quality improvement.
Dr. Tara McGrath is a pediatric rheumatologist and pain medicine physician, and the medical lead of the Stollery Chronic Pain Clinic.
“You have to manage pain,” Dr. McGrath said. “It’s not actually an add-on. This is actually underlying the entire health-care experience.”
“Our goal is to make kids feel safer, to minimize psychological trauma.”
McGrath said better management of acute pain can reduce the likelihood of chronic pain later in life.
She said it’s not about avoiding pain, but changing the way kids feel about it.
“There will be painful procedures and painful pieces of their medical journey,” she said. “But we absolutely have the power to make them feel safe and validated and heard — both for the child and their family.”
McGrath said that while the certification is an accomplishment, it also highlighted some of the areas where the hospital needs to improve.
She said work is now underway to ensure when the hospital is up for recertification, it passes with flying colours.
The Thomas family shared their story as part of the 2026 Corus Radiothon. To donate, visit stollerykids.com.
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