Book aims to help children entering the hospital
Kelli Argento has authored a book to help children enter the hospital with less fear.
Kelli and Tony Argento of Dover are the parents of the star of a new children’s book, written by Kelli Argento to help children who are entering the hospital feel safe and secure in the process. Their son, Ryder Wayne Argento, provided all the material for the book, as the 4-year-old has known far more than his share of hospital stays.
The story began with Ryder’s birth. “It was a perfectly easy and normal pregnancy,” said Kelli Argento, who gave birth to Ryder in 2018. “He was born early in the day, and at first, there were no problems.”
Young Ryder spent his first night in the hospital nursery, allowing his mother to recuperate with a few hours of much-needed rest.
The new family was experiencing a routine new parent story until the middle of that night, when nurses came to wake Argento. “He was having labored breathing, and they were concerned that it may be something serious,” she said.
There followed transfers to other hospitals for Ryder while his mom remained in place until she was well enough to travel herself. An echocardiogram at Akron Children’s Hospital revealed a serious congenital heart defect, hypo plastic left heart syndrome, one that would require multiple open heart surgeries, the first when the newborn was just a week old. The congenital heart defect comes about as the baby develops during pregnancy and the left side of the heart does not form correctly. A life flight trip to Cleveland Clinic followed.
“At this point it was the middle of the next night,” Argento said. “My husband and I drove to Cleveland Clinic. By this time he was extremely sick.”
The baby’s blood chemistry was alarming and needed some recuperative time before his first surgery, which took place one week after he arrived in the world. The parents were unable to hold their child as he recovered, though they remained at his side throughout his two-month hospital stay.
“Ryder’s recovery was one of the fastest they’d seen,” Argento said. “He was on oxygen when we brought him home. We had to take classes to prepare for caring for him.”
The second surgery also went well, and the third, earlier this year, completed Ryder’s necessary medical treatment.
“After the second surgery,” Argento said, “the difference was amazing. He had more energy and did much better. After the third surgery, his blood oxygen levels were normal, and he has been as active as any child his age.”
Recognizing the need for ongoing care for their son, the two decided his mother would leave her job as an elementary teacher at Dover City Schools to stay at home with Ryder.
While Ryder continued the medical process to ensure his safety and recovery, the idea for a book began to float around in Argento’s head.
“I spent a few months scribbling, scratching out and rewriting, trying to get some ideas down,” she said. “By the time of his third surgery, I had a new appreciation for what it was like for an active toddler to go through this and to be in the hospital — his own anxiety, his own trauma, nervousness about being around strangers, all that.”
She wanted to write a book that might help children who were facing a hospital stay, something to ease their fears. With the full support of her husband, she turned to her longtime friend, nurse and artist Elizabeth Studer, to do the illustrations.
“I wanted it to speak to any kid who has to go into the hospital for any reason,” Argento said.
The resulting book, “Wayne the Warrior,” is out in hardcover, paperback and e-book versions from any major book retailer online. More than 100 of the books are earmarked for donation to hospitals.
“I can’t wait to get this into the hands of kids who are dealing with the fear of a hospital stay — to have Ryder there with us and say, ‘I know where you are right now, but you can reach this point of recovery too, a normal life.’ I already have ideas for the next installment,” Argento said. “I’d like to make it a series.”
Argento credits her husband for full support and encouragement. “He pushed me to take whatever time I needed to do this. He was anxious for the book to come out and be surprised and hold it in his hands,” she said.
To learn more about the book and Ryder’s story, visit www.waynethewarrior.com.