Young patients at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois are finding comfort before MRI scans, thanks to a new simulated MRI tool. The hands-on device was developed by Savannah Jost, a former patient who survived cancer as a teen and later joined a high school co-op program. Working with engineers, Jost designed a durable, child-friendly MRI replica that lets kids insert their favorite stuffed animals or dolls for a pretend scan, complete with real MRI sounds. Child life specialists say the tool helps kids process the experience, reducing fear and often decreasing the need for sedation during real procedures. Watch the videos here.
“They need to be able to see, touch and manipulate. We had prep books and pictures and sounds that we would play for them, but we were missing something concrete,” says Child Life Specialist Allison West. “So, this was a huge need that Savannah was able to deliver for us.”
After overcoming Hodgkin lymphoma last year, high schooler Jost found a new way to give back at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois. Through a co-op program, she helped design a child-friendly simulated MRI machine intended to ease fears ahead of real scans. Working alongside engineers at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center, Jost contributed her own experience as a patient. Sister M. Pieta Keller of OSF Innovation Studio says the team aimed for an affordable, hands-on tool that uses a child’s own stuffed animal to demonstrate what a scan feels like, focusing on both comfort and realism for young patients.
“As Savannah came to me with plans and ideas of what she wanted to do, we kind of went back through it. We let her do a first prototype of what she was thinking but then I was like we actually need to rebuild it and rebuild the inside so that it can withstand a small child climbing on top of it because,” Sister Pieta points out, “It is big enough to be a little gymnasium as well, so we wanted it to have that strength and robustness.”
A new initiative is transforming the way young patients experience medical imaging. Spearheaded by Savannah Jost and guided by Sister Pieta, a child-friendly prototype was redesigned for both strength and comfort. The result is a robust structure, resembling a miniature gymnasium, built to withstand the energy of young children. According to West, repeated sedation for scans is common, but this innovative approach aims to prepare kids for procedures, reducing the need for anesthesia. Using the new model as a training tool, children can become familiar with the process, easing anxiety and potentially making scans safer. The project also taught Jost valuable lessons about perseverance and the nature of innovation.
A team at Bradley University has developed a mini-MRI simulator aimed at helping children prepare for real imaging procedures. Inspired by her own experience battling cancer at age 14, student Kelley Jost led efforts to ensure the simulator mimics the actual MRI experience as closely as possible—including using authentic MRI sounds played from a tablet. Jost sees the project as her way to give back to the community that once helped her. The simulator is already being used with young patients, aiming to ease fear and increase understanding, offering comfort and education, one stuffed animal at a time.