Pinwheels Outside of a DFW Children’s Hospital Symbolize Child Abuse Victims

Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth recently installed an eye-opening display on the hospital ground lawn. They planted one pinwheel for each child abuse victim who was treated last year. That means that 1,496 blue pinwheels were out spinning with the wind – a beautiful sight matched with a horrifying statistic that should make visitors stop in their tracks.

WFAA spoke to Jennifer Elrod who helped to plant the pinwheels. She reveled the painful story of how child abuse changed her life forever. When her son was 2-years-old, she left him with a man she was dating while she had to go to work. The man shook and beat the child, and Elrod’s son was rushed to Cook Children’s, where he passed away. “They told me they had to do surgery immediately, and they did. And it was just too severe. It almost always is somebody hat you trust with your child, which is one of the hardest things,” Elrod told the news, hoping that the display and the money raised through awareness will make a difference to those in need. Elrod herself has raised over $100,000 for the hospital.

The Cook Children’s website holds vital information on what to do to prevent and stop child abuse. One of the most common questions people ask before they report an incident of child abuse is what if I’m wrong? Cook Children’s reply is simple. “If the suspected abuse turns out to be nothing, the person making the report will not be punished in any way. The question you should consider is: ‘What if I’m right?’ Isn’t that child’s life worth it?”

Our CARE team planted 1 pinwheel for each of the 1,496 patients treated for child abuse at Cook Children's last year. #stopchildabuse

A post shared by Cook Children's (@cookchildrens) on Mar 31, 2017 at 10:56am PDT

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Each pinwheel on our lawn represents a child treated for abuse @cookchildrens. We are so proud of #kittythedog, who works with the patients, families, and staff members in our CARE Team every day, lending a paw and gentle acceptance to some of the people who need it most. Thanks for all you do, Kitty (and handlers Dr. Jamye Coffman and Stacy Starkes)! #facilitydog #workingdog #childabuseprevention • • • #instagolden #goldenretriever #instagram #goldensofinstagram #insta #instadog #dogsofinsta #retrieverstagram #workingdog #therapydog #canineassistants #follow #igdaily

A post shared by Sit… Stay… PLAY! (@sitstayplay_cc) on Mar 31, 2017 at 2:07pm PDT