Original Airdate: Aug 27, 2004

Host:
Evan Farmer

Designer:
John Bruce

Carpenters:
Andrew Dan-Jumbo
Ali Barone

Few spaces are more deserving of the While You Were Out treatment than this sad and unwelcoming surgery waiting room at a children's hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. It feels so cold, blue and miserable that no families want to use it. Our 911 call came from Wanda Rice, who works at the Shriners Hospital. She told us it's been the dream of patient care services director Glenda Ross to make the room a better place for families to spend time while their children undergo surgery. But there's never been the funding available.

WYWO makes it happen.

Glenda gets sent out of town to find out about another Shriners hospital's summer camp program. And while she enjoys the great outdoors, John Bruce and the team work their magic with Wanda indoors to turn this woeful waiting room into a calming space he calls a "Clearing in the Woods".

Children become the stars of this show as they help with craft projects and give their amusing opinions on the design. One young patient even helps out before surgery and then is out of bed after her operation to ensure she sees the finished room.

All seems to be going well until there's news that Glenda is coming back an hour earlier than expected to prepare for the phony meeting we set up. Now that's an emergency, While You Were Out style!