Elliot The Therapy Dog

The motto at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City is: “The Child First and Always.” Primary Children’s serves the needs of children in the states of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Montana and from around the country. The hospital is equipped to treat children with complex illness and injury and is recognized as one of the top children’s hospitals in the United States. The Lt. Governor has honored Primary Children’s Medical Center as having the best volunteer program for a non-profit organization in the state of Utah for 2010.

Primary Children’s has more than 600 volunteers, including thirty dog therapy teams and Bullet, the Wonder Cat. The therapy animals provide a measure of comfort and a distraction from the emotional and physical discomfort that the children are experiencing. The dogs have an instinct for the needs of the patients and staff, like John Coffey in “Green Mile,” and will approach the children and families to be petted and interact. They are also talented at proving therapy to the staff.

Elliot is one of these dogs. He is a four year old Labradoodle, certified by Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA), and visits Primary Children’s every Thursday. He has a special concern for the children with cancer.

This behavior is typical of the therapy animals as they move through almost all the areas in the hospital. They are well received by the staff, who often watch for the dogs to recommend patients to visit.

We first heard of “Cancer Fears Me” from one of Elliot’s patient friends who received a Cancer Fears Me chemo cap while receiving treatment. We went on-line and ordered a pink and a black cap, 100 pins, and a baseball cap. The Volunteer coordinator tailored the chemo caps to make collars for Elliot and we use the buttons to secure his ITA bandana. The children and staff enjoy seeing Elliot wearing his Cancer Fears Me collars and he has given away many pins; I think cancer really does fear him as he does his part to fight the disease.

Follow Elliot’s visits to hospitals on his Facebook page

“Parents tend to have the more difficult time handling the diagnosis,” said Cynthia Gerhardt, PhD, psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, whose research focuses on the risk and resilience factors connected with family adjustment to childhood chronic illnesses. “Cancer does not mean the same thing to kids that it does to adults. Kids are not as aware of some of the connotations of cancer, and a diagnosis of childhood cancer is typically more treatable than cancer in adults. “

Children who have the most difficult time adjusting to cancer are those who may be predisposed to depression and anxiety, due to challenging or negative temperamental characteristics. Kids are also more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety if they have a more severe condition, particularly cancers that affect the central nervous system, such as brain tumors, which can hinder a child’s cognitive functioning and the ability to use adaptive coping skills. “

Some children may have more symptoms of depression and anxiety when they are first diagnosed, “said Dr. Gerhardt, also an associate professor in Pediatrics and Psychology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “That may have more to do with them being generally tired and nauseous when they first begin treatment. Once kids get used to their treatment and adjust to a new schedule, they typically bounce back and adjust quite well after the first year. ”

Kids who are more likely to have depression or who have a difficult time adjusting to treatment can apply different coping strategies to manage their emotions. They should be taught to problem solve, express themselves and learn to think about situations that make them feel sad or anxious in a different, positive way. This does not mean that a child diagnosed with cancer automatically needs therapy. Simply talking about their feelings with family, friends or a healthcare provider may be enough to help some children adjust. The way the family is handling the situation can also have a profound effect on whether or not the child becomes depressed or anxious. The better the family can adjust to the diagnosis, the more likely the child will find ways to cope.

This study is one of the few where researchers have examined the extent to which stress, personality and the ability to cope with the diagnosis all play in a role in the adjustment of children with cancer. Stress and anxiety levels were measured by the participants’ mothers, and although there may be some stressors parents are unaware of, this study demonstrates that even young children can find ways to stay positive during a difficult time.

Source: Nationwide Children’s Hospital 

Priceless.

I do not claim to understand what Avey’s parents are experiencing as they battle cancer with their child, or what they are thinking as they view her bald little head sporting an almost white peach fuzz; but at this moment, on this day, in this hour of play, as I listen to her laughter, it seems that Avey feels carefree and happy.

Most likely as she grows up she will not remember anything about her cancer diagnosis. Though I do hope she remembers the laughter. It is also my hope that somewhere along the journey, her parents can allow themselves sweet moments as well, times when they can join in with giggles of their own.

Laughter won’t provide a solution for cancer, but sometimes it truly can be the best medicine. Even during a dark period, slivers of happiness should be available. No one deserves cancer, but everyone deserves that.

Avey participates in our free Mommy & Me program, held Tuesdays at 10 am. It is open to children ages 2-5.

Mary Proctor uses objects from her junkyard to craft three dimensional assembled works from buttons, mirrors, jewelry and other trinkets. Some works are inspired by bible scripture and others by memories of her grandmother or her childhood and most include written messages of spiritual truths or life lessons. She is most well known for her paintings and collages on doors, and examples of her work can be found on her website, www.missionarymary.com. Joann created smaller doors out of cardboard for the kids to decorate.

Scott Weaver was the toothpick artist who is most well known for his toothpick sculpture of the San Francisco Bay Area. While he does not hold the world record for toothpick sculpture, his is unique because it adds a kinetic element. There are multiple paths that ping pong balls can travel through the sculpture, thus touring San Francisco. Scott narrates all the tours in this short video that is well worth watching: http://portable.tv/art/post/scott-weavers-toothpick-city/

Our Cool Kids weren’t going to try and build anything quite so elaborate on a Saturday afternoon, but did use marshmallows and toothpicks to construct their own mini models.

A special thank you again to Joann for her hard work getting everything together, and to the American Visionary Arts Museum for the supplies.

For more information on all our upcoming events and programs, please visit our Learning Center webpage.

Some Pictures From The Event

David proudly displays the results of his toy drive!

On Friday, March 2nd, 2012, David and his mom delivered the results of a VERY successful toy drive. We cannot say thank you enough to David, his mom and family, and of course, the families at St. James Academy! The toys were a great assortment, and helped replenish our constant need for boys toys (ages 8-12) and puzzles/games for all ages.

You can still donate to David’s project:
Donate in under 5 minutes NOW

David’s original letter describing his project is below:

My name is David S., and I am an 8th grader at St. James Academy. This year I am devoting my 8th grade Leadership Project, “Give From Your Heart”,  to help the The Cool Kids Campaign.

David next to his "Give From The Heart" board at St. James

I learned about the Cool Kids Campaign and the many Cool Kids they serve a few years ago. I was really affected by one of the kids, MacKenzie Stuck; she is a really amazing person! I decided that I wanted to help her and The Cool Kids Campaign.

My project’s goal is to help supply toys and money for the Cool Kids Care Package program. Care Packages are sent directly to patients’ homes in an effort to make their lives a bit easier and happier by distracting them, at least for a little while, with some smiles and fun. Care Packages are just ONE of the programs Cool Kids Campaign offers. Check out their full list!

My goals are to:

• Educate people about this great organization,
• Inform people about how these kids need help, and
• Inspire the St. James Community to help these children and their families.

Ways you can help!

• Bring a donated toy to St. James Academy (St. James students only)
• Making a monetary donation online to offset Care Package costs Donate in under 5 minutes NOW

Thank you for helping me with my Leadership Project, but more importantly, thank you for giving from your heart to help The Cool Kids Campaign!

- David

What Types of Toys Does Cool Kids Need?

Simple guidelines:

• We send care packages to kids ages 4 months – 18 years old. We need a WIDE range of toys!
• We cannot use/send any video games rated Mature (M) or above
• Our biggest need is always for kids 12 and older – GIFT CARDS are the number one most wished for item

We do NOT need any more of the following:

• Barbie dolls
• Coloring books
• Wrestling action figures
• Large/Jumbo stuffed animals
• Matchbox Cars

We NEED:

• Gift cards!  ANY store that you like our teens like as well - especially clothing / iTunes / Walmart / Amazon.com
• Lego’s – the small and mid-size box sets are great and easy to mail.
• Duplo for younger kids
• Star Wars action figures / toys
• Toys for 0-2 years of age (very difficult to fill these request right now)
• Puzzles for young children (we have a good supply of 200-750 piece count sets but could use some lower count sets, e.g. 10-100 pieces)

Questions?

Please email Kristian.

Gary Carter, Sharon Perfetti, and Chris Federico

Ken Singleton Remembers Carter

Ken Singleton, Cool Kids Campaign Board member and host of our annual Celebrity Golf Classic, remembers Carter’s early years on the Expo’s and watching him later in his career.

The full interview is available here.

Sports Illustrated Photo Slideshow

A great collection of photos assembled by Sports Illustrated. Well worth a look. The photo below is from this collection.

 

Gary Played in the Celebrity Players Tour, and later the Ken Singleton Celebrity Golf Classic