Welcoming a teenager : the Elvis story
At Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque we do not only operate on young children. Our branch in Angers is even specialised in the care of adolescents. To understand what it's like to take in a "big kid", we asked Florence, Elvis' foster mother, to tell us about the stay of this 16 year old Ivorian boy with her family.
Florence's family includes dad Nicolas, children Capucine (11) and Célestin (9), and dog Rosie. After discovering the Association on our social networks, they all decided to embark on the adventure of fostering for the first time. Living in the Anjou region, they welcomed not a small child but a 16-year-old teenager into their home last September.
"From my only experience as a host family, the advantage of hosting a teenager is communication. At the start of our stay, Elvis was stressed as the date of his operation approached, but we were able to communicate easily. He confided in us his feelings, his fears, he told us about his daily life in his country, and this immediately forged a bond with all of us."
Elvis's heart operation went well, and he was reunited with his foster family on leaving hospital. "We're very lucky because our children got on very well with him! Elvis took on the role of big brother to Capucine and Célestin. They played together, helped them with their homework, and sometimes the three of them even squabbled like a real sibling."
"One of the other advantages of hosting a teenager is that we were able to take full advantage of doing activities with him." In particular, Elvis was lucky enough to attend an Angers/Nantes soccer match, in the dressing room, followed by a meeting with the players. A keen soccer fan, he also met up with some youngsters at the local stadium, where he noticed a marked improvement in his fitness after the operation.
Elvis also took advantage of his stay with his host family to borrow a bicycle, as he doesn't own one at home. Before his operation, he was content to take short rides, as he tired quickly. He promised himself that once he'd recovered, he'd cycle back to the hospital, which is 30 km from home... and he kept his word! Before leaving, he cycled to thank the nurses who had taken care of him, a symbolic gesture of which he was proud.
Elvis returns to Côte d'Ivoire with his parents and the Aviation Sans Frontières courier.
