Nurse plays tic-tac-toe with patient stuck in hospital room

By Tommy Brooksbank

Sometimes it's the simple thrills that keep you going, and Grant Wolf knows that better than most.

The 7-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, has been battling brain cancer and undergoing treatment at Cincinnati Children's Hospital for the past nine months, and as he endures chemotherapy, the stuffed animals nurse Allie Schulten leaves behind never fail to bring on a grin.

"It's her signature," Grant's mom Sara Wolf explained. "Each time she changes the linens she leaves a little friend for Grant to come back to and the smile on his face when he discovers it is priceless."

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Nurse Allie Schulten likes to leave seven-year-old cancer patient Grant Wolf stuffed animals in his hospital room.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Nurse Allie Schulten likes to leave seven-year-old cancer patient Grant Wolf stuffed animals in his hospital room.

But since April, Schulten hasn't been able to leave her customary gift in Grant's hospital room. Nurse-to-patient contact is kept to a minimum for the time being due to social-distancing restrictions related to COVID-19. Schulten had to find a new way to cheer up Grant, and that came in the form of X's and O's.

"I drew a tic-tac-toe board on his door as a way of asking if he wanted to play," Schulten said. "I still wanted to be able to interact with him and help bring a smile to his face without entering his room."

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Nurse Allie Schulten plays tic-tac-toe with cancer patient Grant Wolf through a hospital room window, hoping to cheer up the seven-year-old while social distancing.

The young cancer patient took to Schulten's gesture, grabbing a dry erase marker to make the first move on the glass door between them. The first game took place on April 17, and since then, the pair plays a few games every day that Grant is in for his round of treatment.

"He always gives me a smirk when he sees me start drawing on the window and by the time he gets to the window has a smile from ear-to-ear," Schulten said. "But the biggest smiles and infectious giggling come when he gets a win. Oncology patients like Grant show me every day the true meaning of a fighting spirit."

Laughter, it seems, is the best medicine to help pass the time.

"Tic-tac-toe is fun and I like writing on the windows," Grant said. "My nurses are nice and they take good care of me."

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Nurse Allie Schulten plays tic-tac-toe with cancer patient Grant Wolf through a hospital room window, hoping to cheer up the seven-year-old while social distancing.

The hospital shared a photo of the ongoing games between Grant and Schulten in a Facebook post that has since received thousands of likes and hundreds of shares, all commending the nurse for going the extra mile with her young patient.

"These onocology nurses have been some of the most amazing people we've met on this journey," Sara Wolf said. "All the creative ways they've come up with to bring a smile to Grant's face and help ease his anxieties as he battles brain cancer, it makes a world of difference and they should be so proud of the work they do."

Grant is scheduled to receive his sixth and hopefully last round of chemotherapy next month.