Another deep breath.
[ GROANS ]
- It's ok, take a deep breath,
you're doing a good job.
- [ Male voice ] Pain is much more complicated
than people give it credit for.
They think you either have pain or you don't.
Interfering with the child's receptors for pain,
interacting with the way that the nerves
are conducting pain to and from the brain,
it's not that we are simply distracting you
from the pain.
With virtual reality, you truly aren't
experiencing it.
- I want to be a horse trainer,
but I mainly want to be a Pediatric Oncologist.
I just really want to help more kids get better
and live a full life.
When I was really little,
they diagnosed me with an autoimmune
digestive disease.
- In the first year of her diagnosis,
she had four endoscopies under general anesthesia.
- [ Male voice ] There are risks that come along
with general anesthesia.
- Alright Miss Kyla, we're going to get started.
- [ Male voice ] In Kyla's case, she's using virtual reality
in place of general anesthesia
to successfully tolerate her endoscopies.
The impact to the child's life in that situation
is profound.
- You're doing great Kyla
- I get the VR goggles and the numbing medicine.
There's a little tube that goes down your esophagus,
and they do it super fast,
my last one was, like, three minutes.
- How does virtual reality work to reduce pain?
The more I can engage you in that virtual experience,
the less your brain is able to perceive
the pain signals
and they might as well not exist.
- She doesn't dread going to the hospital
any more, and neither do I!
It's been an amazing change in the management
of her condition for us.
- Good girl!
