Laurie with bubbles

Jun 14, 2021 / Spotlight

Get to Know our Staff: Laurie Hamilton, Child Life

What is your role at Scottish Rite for Children?   
As a child life specialist, my job is to help children and families cope with their hospital/clinic visit.  
 
What do you do on a daily basis?
Each day looks very different, based on the clinic schedules and Fracture Clinic walk-ins. A typical day looks like bubbles, play, laughter, advocating for patients and families, reassuring patients they are stronger than they know, preparation and support during procedures, and lots of glitter - all in the day of a child life specialist. 
  
What was your first job? What path did you take to get here? How long have you worked here? 
My very first job was working at Jason’s Deli when I was 16. It was a great job, but I still can’t walk into a Jason’s Deli without noticing the particular smell of a Jason’s Deli that no one else can notice.  
 
Fast forward several years, and I was a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Plano. A month after my husband and I got married, he was diagnosed with a rare pediatric cancer at the age of 28 and he ended up spending a month at Cook Children’s Hospital for treatment. I spent many hours in the waiting area and hospital and began to notice staff teaching children about their diagnosis and even practicing accessing ports on dolls. I found out about child life there and knew it was what I needed to be doing.  
 
I started working at Scottish Rite in September of 2018 and moved over to the Frisco campus as soon as it opened in October. 

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite? 
Before I started working here, I had heard about the “family atmosphere" at Scottish Rite and didn’t really understand until I started working here. I love how everyone treats each other and is always willing to help you learn and grow.  
 
What energizes you outside of work? 
I am a very go, go, go type of person, so I try to be busy all the time. This proved difficult at times during the pandemic. My husband and I started sailing on Lake Lewisville, with the hope of eventually being able to sail in the British Virgin Islands. We love to play games and hang out with friends and family. We like to find dog-friendly restaurants because we have a very spoiled dog named Relish, who has been enjoying the pandemic immensely with my husband working from home. We also try to travel as much as we can and attempt to do Disney several times a year. Yes, we are those people!
 
What’s your favorite quote? Who was it from? 
 “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.” - Walt Disney
 
What’s the top destination on your must-visit list? 
I would love to visit Scotland or Norway and stay in those little igloos! I really would go anywhere and can have a bag packed and ready to go in under an hour.
 
What’s one hobby you’d love to get into? 
I love the idea of gardening but can’t seem to keep any plants alive, so maybe that’s not the best option. 
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