Content warning: This story mentions instances of gun violence involving children.
Eight-year-old Janek Bebout pushed his hand into the cup of slime, giggling as a loud fart sound emitted from it.
He was sitting in Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital’s children’s garden, surrounded by dozens and dozens of the cups labeled “Janek’s Laughter.”
These were just some of the 2,409 cups he and his grandma had collected from donations to try to bring joy to other kids, like him, in the hospital.
“I hope they’re going to love the slime very much,” he said, smiling from ear to ear.
This past summer, Janek, his little brother Julen, and his mom Johanna were all injured in the Rochester Hills splash pad shooting. Afterward they were treated at our Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital and Royal Oak hospital.
When Janek woke up in the hospital after the shooting, his nana, Barb Soffin, gave him a cup of slime. He started playing with it and started laughing.
“That’s why this is so significant to us,” Barb said at the children’s garden on Friday, Jan. 31, where she, Janek and Johanna had returned to donate the slime.
While the family still works through the tragedy, the act of donating slime has helped take some of the pain out of it.
"By laughing today and having fun with slime, it might be simple to some people," she said. "It's actually everything to us."
Team members were also very happy to see Janek and his family again. Bria Gwisdalla, RN, nursing pediatrics, said she doesn’t think she’s ever seen Janek without a smile on his face. “He’s always been so positive, he’s always focused on other people.”
“It’s inspiring for the nurses,” she said during his return visit that Friday. “It’s healing for the staff to see him this way.”
Amanda Lefkof, child life specialist, nursing child life services, joked she’s not sure where she’s going to store over 2,400 cups of slime, but they now have enough to pass out to every kid who needs that laughter. There are plans to send slime to other Corewell Health facilities serving children, like the Troy and Dearborn hospitals.
“Our favorite thing is to see our patients coming back and doing well,” she said. “Not only is he (Janek) doing well, just rocking it with his cane and feeling good, but wanting to give back to other children that are going through hard times. It's such a meaningful, full-circle moment."
“It reminds you why you do what you do,” Amanda said.