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As you travel the back roads for your weekly luncheon with mom, you think about the tasks to be completed that day:  A trip to the grocery store. A quick stop at the bank. Shuttling kids to and from sporting activities.

Your mind continues to compose the list as you pull over for an ambulance with lights and sirens blaring. As you round the corner of your parents’ street, you see your father and several neighbors in the driveway; your heart skips a beat.

Your father says mom walked to the mailbox, twisted her ankle, fell and hit her head. She laid in the driveway for about 20 minutes before dad went looking for her. The paramedics insisted on taking mom to the hospital for a quick review and assessment. And so, the ride begins.

Changed Plans, Many Decisions

The next three hours are spent providing insurance information, reviewing past medical history, answering questions about the incident, undergoing multiple tests and waiting to see the emergency department physician. Mom appears to be fine and so your mind starts to revamp the list from this morning: the groceries can wait until tomorrow, hit the ATM on the way home, my sister may be able to shuttle the kids around. Then, the doctor arrives. Test results show abnormalities and the physician recommends that mom stay for observation and additional tests.

Many of us will experience similar situations like the one described. Most of us desperately try to avoid a trip to the hospital, so we avoid talking about the possibility, making us unprepared to traverse this emotional rollercoaster ride. Nearly one in five Americans will visit an emergency department at least once a year, according to the U.S. Centers for  Disease Control and Prevention. We must get out of our comfort zone, do research, and be prepared for an unexpected hospital stay as well as what follows.

 From the Maltz Museum

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is proud to announce a summer installation for younger audiences. Back by popular demand, The Everyday Heroes Activity Center will open for the second year in the Museum’s special exhibition gallery space. Children are invited to discover their own everyday superpowers, such as kindness, compassion, listening, and helping through hands-on activities. From Painting Kindness Rocks to Building a Better World Lego Station to Zooming around the Good Mood Movement Area, young families can explore values of being an everyday hero. The Everyday Heroes Activity Center will be open during regular Museum hours, June 4 – August 18 (2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood; 216-593-0575; maltzmuseum.org).

David Schafer, Managing Director of the Maltz Museum says, “In each of us, there is a hero. Inside, we are strong enough, brave enough, and courageous enough to make choices that lift others up. Sometimes, we must even lift ourselves up first so that we can help someone else.”

The Everyday Heroes Activity Center will feature interactive stations where children can enjoy books, crafts, movement, and more. Examples of stations include:

• Make Your Own Capes and Masks
• Zoom Around the Good Mood Movement Area
• Paint Kindness Rocks to Keep and Share
• Build a Better World with Jumbo Legos
• Be the Hero of Your Own Story at the Puppet Theater
• And more!

In addition, guests can participate in an Everyday Hero Story Tour, which is a self-guided, hands-on tour using a new children’s book to explore the Museum’s core exhibition, An American Story. Discover the heroic qualities of a family moving to a new country on this newly designed tour created to engage younger audiences.  

In partnership with Bellefaire Jewish Children’s Bureau on their 150^th anniversary, the Museum honors those standing up and speaking out for children who are vulnerable such as those at-risk and with special needs, through shared thematic programming.