A Sound Idea, Las Vegas Sun, June 21, 1996

Christopher Walker’s sound idea Lisa Sciortino Friday, June 21, 1996 | 11:59 a.m. A visit to the neonatal intensive-care unit at Sunrise Children's Hospital two years ago started the wheels turning in Christopher Walker's head. There had to be a way he could help the tiny, incubator-bound babies -- some of them barely clinging to their young lives -- adjust to their sterile surroundings. Most of the newborns were so ill, so frail, he recalls, that their parents weren't allowed to hold them. "The nurses can't even touch the babies. That's hard when you've just been born and you're not even able to be touched," says Christopher, who will be Green Valley High School's student body president this fall. That day he learned from doctors, including neonatologist Donald Buchanan, about an experimental healing and growth technique that uses music and other sounds to promote brain stimulation. Parents of neonates often place tape players and mini speakers, pumping out classical music or recordings of their own voices, inside the incubators, attempting to elicit a response and bond with their babies. Could he do something with that? After all, Christopher, 17, knows all about the therapeutic benefits of music. He's been playing the piano since he was lad. "It makes me feel good, clears my head when I play," he says. The hospital visit left a big impression on him. "The main thing that stuck out when I went there was before we even went in (the neonatal ICU, Dr. Buchanan) said, 'The care they get here makes or breaks this child's life.'" "Every little thing you do for them (decides) if this child is gonna live or not and how well their life is gonna be. It sounds rewarding. "When I got home," he say, "I thought, 'We could really do something like this.'" About a month later, Christopher got to work researching and developing an auditory stimulation system of his own. Called "Operation: Good Vibrations," his original design was completed on paper earlier this year. It calls for an eight-deck "master control station" cassette player and recorder to be installed in the neonatal unit. There are separate clip-on speakers for as many of the incubators. Total cost: He figures about $800. "The first couple of months after birth are the most important for the bond between (the baby) and the mother and, more importantly, the father," Christopher explains. "By (hearing) the voices and stuff, that's what usually creates that strong bond you have all your life. That bond is also what helps develop the senses." Upon completion, Christopher submitted his proposal to Dr. Buchanan for some feedback. The doctor suggested that the young inventor reconfigure his design, going from a central-unit setup to having tape players built into the incubators. Buchanan also turned him on to several incubator manufacturers that Christopher forwarded his plans to. "I think Chris is to be encouraged in his pursuit," Buchanan says. "I think it's a wonderful vocation for a young mind to be interested in." But because the sound therapy is still experimental, Buchanan is hesitant to say for certain whether or not it works. "It certainly is something we encourage parents to do. "Like some things in medicine, there is a body of literature that argues one way and then the other," he says. "I would hope that it doesn't do any harm and we don't believe that it does." Meanwhile, Christopher is waiting to hear back from the manufacturers. "It would be so neat if we could get this off the ground." He hopes to see the first units produced early next year. In any case, the teen's work on "Operation: Good Vibrations" has already netted him a pair of scholarships, one for a trip through Europe later this summer, and a $2,500 award from Discover Card. But it's not a monetary gain that Christopher says he's after. "I'm someone who likes to feel like I've helped someone."