An emergency room physician at a Moreno Valley hospital is using her newly found balloon twisting skills to bring colorful creations and cheer to her patients during the pandemic.
Dr. Stephanie Loe, a physician at the Riverside University Health System Medical Center, said she picked up ballon art as a hobby during the pandemic.
The doctor said she taught herself how to twist balloons into animals at home via an app and then started handing out her colorful creations to patients at work.
When she saw how her ballon animals brought cheer to her pediatric patients patients, she spent time perfecting her craft. Soon, it wasn’t just her patients who found comfort in her balloon creations. Requests for her ballon art started pouring in from her colleagues, too.
Turns out that this ballon therapy was what a lot people needed.
“I’ve been a doctor for almost 11 years and never have I seen anything to this magnitude like the pandemic. … I think [the balloons] just brought joy and laughter during a time when there was none,” Loe said. “Making balloons and making somebody smile was just the least I could do.