I have twin 10-year-old boys with REALLY HIGH needle anxiety. It is so bad the last time at the pediatrician's office they told me if they continue to act this way we may get to the point of not being able to vaccinate them there. This breaks a mama's heart as you're trying to help your children stay safe with vaccines but help them get over this anxiety.

The boys were Sparrow NICU babies, so when I posted on my Facebook asking for ideas of what to do knowing the COVID vaccine would be coming up as soon as they were eligible. One of our NICU nurses referred me to Children's Miracle of Life where they might have a Buzzy the Bee! I googled Sparrow Children's Miracle of Life and much to my surprise I was told they would take my contact information and be in touch with me and low and behold she put me in touch with the most wonderful ANGEL ever! Cindy Meteyer!!! Cindy said she didn't know of a Buzzy the Bee within Sparrow BUT she personally had one (a cold compress with a high vibrator to distract the nerve). Cindy talked to me on the phone asking me some questions about my children. We determined it might benefit them to come down to the Sparrow Vaccine clinic and just talk about her "tools" (Buzzy the Bee, stress balls, suckers, and all her tools to help distract the brain). Cindy would draw a line from the arm up to the brain showing how we hope this will distract the brain so it doesn't know what's happening. Never once did Cindy promise it wouldn't hurt, but this method tends to distract the nerve to the brain! Cindy spent probably 10 whole minutes out of her time talking to MY children! She asked them where did they feel their anxiety lay on a scale of 1-10 and why did they think that way (they both said a 10 through the roof). Then Cindy asked them why they wanted to get the vaccine! She was SO KIND, SO PATIENT, and SO WONDERFUL with MY children! She didn't have to take time out of her day to talk to my kids, but she did!! (I'm a nobody, just a normal everyday mom trying my best, and Cindy was heaven-sent for us!)

After that first meeting where Cindy showed the boys Buzzy the Bee, she showed them what it does, and they could feel it, she talked about the needle the boys left there and said to me "mom I think it "might" be ok, Miss Cindy seems ok as long as we go back to her"! So a week later we made the first Vaccine appointment. We worked with Miss Cindy to be sure she would be at the Clinic that day! She came right over, and talked to the boys! Asked them how they were doing today (they were very apprehensive, definitely some worry), she gave them a stress ball, I held them and we did it!!! Miss Cindy was worried because even though we had some tears, I can tell you it was the BEST EXPERIENCE we have EVER EVER had (in over 10 years)!!!!!! ALL Thanks to Miss Cindy who took the extra time and went the extra mile to make this happen!!!

When it came time for appointment #2, again I contacted Cindy. She wasn't even supposed to work the Vax clinic that day! She came down on a day that would work for them (because they had swimming that night and I wanted them to use their arm that evening she agreed that could help). She told me she could go down so she could go "Deliver suckers, and check on things at the clinic" (I'm sure that was just a line so I wouldn't feel bad having her come down). Again we pulled in and said we were there for Cindy. She came right over, got Buzzy out of her cooler and the boys made it happen! They didn't even make a PEEP!!!!!

I couldn't be MORE GRATEFUL to Miss Cindy Meteyer for her kindness, generosity, compassion, and so much more for my boys! Thank you from the bottom of this Mama's heart! You are a ROCK STAR in our books, Miss Cindy!