Alexis Ludlow
Project: Hope in everyday life: stories from siblings of a child with a tracheostomy
“My supervisor once told me: ‘You don't have to be right all the time, but care about getting stories right.’... It reminds me that although I can’t be perfect, I can share my participants' stories as authentically as possible and ensure their voices are heard.”
Summary: More children with serious diseases are surviving and going home with a tracheostomy — a breathing tube in their neck. While this procedure can save a child's life, it brings major changes for their entire family. Often forgotten are the experiences of their siblings, who must also adjust to a new reality. This qualitative study asks siblings directly about their lived experiences and explores how they cope and stay hopeful as family life changes after their sibling comes home from the hospital.
Through a parent advisory group and the tracheostomy clinic at the Stollery Children's Hospital, we will contact up to ten siblings (ages seven to 17) of a child with a tracheostomy and invite them to participate. The researcher will conduct one-on-one interviews to explore the siblings’ experiences and discuss what hope is and what it means to them.
After the initial interview, the researcher will support participants in creating a hope bento box with visuals and other representations that help them feel hopeful. This activity will end with a one-on-one interview about each item. The interviews will be recorded, and key themes noted.
This study is a part of a larger research project to help guide the creation of psychological supports for siblings of children going home from hospital with a tracheostomy.
Alexis Ludlow was supervised by Dr. Maria Castro Codesal in the Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. Her WCHRI summer studentship was funded by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. She is working toward a bachelor of science in psychology at the University of Alberta.
Read more about WCHRI’s training awards for students at all levels and generous grants for researchers. See the rest of the 2026 summer studentship recipients here.
