A small device called 'BiBi' helps 7-year-old Vega so much that the family no longer needs to make the trip from Børkop to Odense University Hospital.
A trip from Børkop to Odense University Hospital every 14 days was everyday life for the Sejerup family.
Seven-year-old Vega had to receive medical injections for juvenile arthritis, which she was diagnosed with when she was four years old.
But now she has gotten a small new device that means she can receive the injections at home in the living room.
- It helps me focus on something else and be calmer in my body, says Vega.
The device is called 'BiBi,' and it has been part of a pilot project at H.C. Andersen Children's Hospital, which is part of OUH.
The 'BiBi' device works by using LEDs that run in a cycle, indicating when the children should breathe in and when they should breathe out (Photo: © Private photo)
'BiBi' is used for children like Vega who previously needed laughing gas when receiving medication. Using LEDs, it guides the children on when to breathe in and breathe out again.
This means Vega can receive her injections at home in familiar surroundings, rather than having to make the trip across the Little Belt to Odense.
- Then I don't miss out on many fun and important things at school, she says.
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A relief for the whole family
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In fact, the small device has had a huge impact on the whole family, says Vega's mother, Tanja Sejerup.
- We no longer have to plan the summer holiday around when we need to go to Odense. After starting school, she can participate like all other classmates and not miss out on anything. That has been important for her, because she has previously missed out on various things she was looking forward to, she says.
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Unexpected results
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Project nurse Christina Granhøj Nielsen is pleased that the project has produced such good results.
Actually, it was not the goal from the beginning that 'BiBi' would lead to the children being able to stay at home.
The original hope was that the device would calm the children when they received injections at the hospital.
- It was not a wish from the start that they should not come here, but as a starting point, we of course want the child to have the opportunity to be at home among family and friends, so they can attend school and leisure activities, she says.
The project has run from January to June this year. The next step in the process is now to evaluate the results.
Back in Børkop, Tanja Sejerup can be happy that the trip to Odense is no longer necessary, and that Vega no longer needs laughing gas to receive her medication.
- It has really made a big difference. Before, she got laughing gas every single time she had to have medication or have blood drawn. That was why we came to the hospital, and that is no longer needed, she says.
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