Willie the therapy pony makes rounds at an Ohio children's hospital
At Akron Children's Hospital, a pony named Willie Nelson visits patients once a month. NPR followed him through the burn unit, where kids who did not expect a pony in the hallway said the visits made them cry — in a good way.
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Hospital rounds
NPR reported that Sue Miller of Victory Gallop, a therapeutic riding school, brings Willie to Akron Children's Hospital about once a month. Before each visit he gets two baths, including a surgical scrub, and his feet and tail are wrapped for the trip. Willie has been a therapy pony for eight years; Miller said training him took eight months, starting in her kitchen with pots and pans and toilets flushing.
In the burn unit, 16-year-old Angelina Howes — recently out of surgery and in isolation — greeted Willie from a distance. "I love Willie Nelson so much," she said. He had visited for her birthday the week before. Fifteen-year-old Aniyah Angel-Thacker, recovering from a car crash, said she did not expect a pony in her room: "He made me very happy."
Miller said hospital days are rarely pleasant, and Willie "just kind of gives you a break for the day, something to smile about." NPR noted research linking therapy animals to lower anxiety and stress for patients and caregivers.
Why it matters
On a morning of heavy news, a scrubbed therapy pony walking Ohio hospital halls is a reminder that small visits can still cut through a hard day.