Long before she became a child life specialist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Christine Leininger set out on an adventure that would change the course of her life.
The teacher from Coatesville, Pennsylvania often spent her summers cycling long-distances around the United States. On one particularly ambitious cross-country trip, she met a fellow cyclist named Bill Legere - a pharmacist from Canada. As the miles rolled by, so did the beginnings of a relationship that would eventually lead to marriage and Christine’s arrival in Kingston.
She expected to continue teaching, but a volunteer opportunity at Kingston General Hospital opened her eyes to an entirely new career path in health care.
"I feel like I found my place," beams Christine. "I'm still certified as a teacher, but this role is where I want to be."
Today, Christine works primarily with children receiving cancer treatment, helping them understand their diagnosis, prepare for procedures and navigate the anxiety that often accompanies hospital visits. But above all else, she helps them feel like kids.
"Kids just want to play," she says. "If you can engage them in play, and they can trust you, it helps them deal with the challenging stuff."
The goal of the child life team is simple but meaningful: to create an environment where children feel safe, comfortable and empowered.
"When they come running through the door to the clinic with smiles on their faces, that's amazing. That's the safe, calm environment we want to create."
For many patients, those positive experiences become lasting memories. Years later, Christine still encounters former patients and families around Kingston who remember her and the playroom where they spent time during treatment.
Those moments remind her why her work matters.
"As a team, we're just trying to normalize their experience," she explains of her colleagues in the pediatrics department. "They're thrown into the hospital experience, and we just want to keep their world as normal as possible."
Whether that means explaining a procedure using an MRI made of Lego, preparing a child for visiting a loved one in the adult intensive care unit, or simply providing a distraction during treatment, Christine is a source of comfort and connection.
"I go home feeling like I've made a difference, knowing I made somebody's really tough experience just a little bit better.”
And for Christine, there's no better reason to come back tomorrow.
