Results tagged “Childhood Cancer”

A stay in the hospital is not on most kids' top 10 list, but it's often a necessity for young cancer patients. Now, the redesigned and expanded MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital will make stays easier on children.

When the idea to expand the Children's Cancer Hospital and centralize its services became a reality, pediatric caregivers on the Family Advisory Council began to work hand-in-hand with the architects and hospital staff. They considered everything from pod names to colors to furniture to floor layout.

The result: mood lighting, plasma TV screens and a basketball goal down the hall ‒ which may sound like a child's idea of a dream vacation. The good news is that the innovative treatment that is synonymous with cancer care at MD Anderson is still part of the plan.

Each patient still receives care from a multidisciplinary team of specialists who partner with families to provide the best comprehensive care for their children. Patients will be able to receive infusion therapy and inpatient services, including intermediate and intensive care, all on the same floor - a first among area children's hospitals.

Continue reading MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital comes of age.

Close to 72,000 teens and young adults are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. Yet, if you look around MD Anderson or any other cancer center, you might wonder where all these young patients are.

When we asked young adult survivors what would've made their experience better, they overwhelmingly said they would've liked to have met someone like themselves. 

Here are a few places young patients can go and tips you can use to find other adolescents and young adults (AYA) at MD Anderson.

Top 4 hangouts:
1. Kim's Place (Floor 2, near The Park) - Pass the time between appointments in this space just for patients, family members and friends ages 15 to 30.

Kim's Place offers free arcade games, a pool table, jukebox, basketball hoops game, comfortable couches, microwaves and a coffee machine. Across from Kim's Place is a theater room with a large screen TV, comfortable seating and computer.

Continue reading Top spots and tips for teens and young adults at MD Anderson.

Listen to a group of teenagers talk and their conversation could cover a gamut of topics from video games and movies to relationships and school. However, at MD Anderson  Children's Cancer Hospital, a group of teenagers talk with one goal in mind - to improve the experience for other young patients facing childhood cancer.

This past fall, 18 cancer patients and survivors formed imPACT (Patient Advisory Council for Teens), partnering with hospital staff in the decision-making process and working together on patient care projects.

"Teens want to leave their mark in this world. They want to give back, to help others who come to the Children's Cancer Hospital. Their involvement in this council will allow them to do that," says Lauren Shinn, a child life specialist and imPACT co-facilitator with art teacher Mindy LeBoeuf.

No more oversized hospital gowns
In their first meeting, council members brainstormed a list of things that could help patients cope with their hospital stay.

Continue reading Young cancer patients' positive imPACT.

Holidays are the time for giving and, thanks to the Children's Art Project (CAP), giving that perfect present shouldn't be difficult this season. That's because year-round MD Anderson's pediatric cancer patients color, paint and sketch their own unique artwork, which is featured on a variety of gift items. 

The best part: sale proceeds go right back to fund important educational and recreational programs for children and their families. CAP has released its annual holiday collection, and there's no better way to show your support for kids with cancer than considering giving friends and loved ones a gift that truly makes a difference.

"This is a time of year to reflect and be thankful for all that we have," said Shannan Murray, CAP's executive director. "When I see the talents of these young patients reflected in their artwork and the wonderful opportunity we have to support them, it's reminds me of what's really important."

The latest and greatest
The "Santa Fluff" ornament, $8, is a newly released design that made its way into CAP's popular resin-based ornament collection. For years, CAP staff members have heard stories from customers about how they treasure decorating their trees with these special pieces.  They say it's a simple way of giving back and recognizing the achievements of those faced with difficult circumstances, especially around the holidays.

Continue reading Gifts that give back: Inspired by young cancer patients.

By Val Marshall

Val Marshall's cancer journey began in May 2009, when her son Addison was diagnosed acute lymphocytic leukemia. A visit to the family doctor for what they thought was a simple high school football injury turned out to be much more.

Inspired by her son's strength and hope, Val strives to be a voice that connects other parents on this journey. Her series shares insight into her life as a mom of a typical teenager who just happens to be fighting leukemia.

Addison Marshall crush cancer

Friday, Sept. 21, was a special day, as I was invited to two very different events.

MD Anderson hosted a press conference highlighting the new Moon Shots Program, boldly defining the next frontier of cancer research. Eight diseases (lung, melanoma, breast/ovarian, prostate and several blood cancers) have been sniper-targeted for eradication in the coming decade.

True to form, MD Anderson invited family and caregivers to meet with MD Anderson President Ronald DePinho, M.D., before the press conference and be awarded assigned seats. I'm not sure if I would be impressed meeting Lady Gaga, but I was gaga over meeting Dr. D.

Continue reading All on board for the Moon Shots Program.

More than 4 million babies are born each year in the United States according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unbeknownst to many of those mothers, as they give life to their newborn baby, they have a chance to give life to another child who they don't even know.

When babies are born, their umbilical cords are cut and the remaining cord is thrown away. That's the standard routine. However, within those discarded cords lie young stem cells that could potentially save the life of a cancer patient or those facing other health conditions -- lives like Steven Gonzalez Jr.

Gonzalez was on a Boy Scout camping trip in 2006 when he woke up sick with a swollen face. After a trip to the hospital, Gonzalez was soon diagnosed with an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The 12-year-old was given a 2% chance of survival.

Pediatric oncologists at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital knew that standard chemotherapy would unlikely be enough to cure Gonzalez from his leukemia, and a bone marrow transplant would be necessary. When a search of the Be the Match registry failed to find Gonzalez a bone marrow donor, he was left with one option -- an umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant.

Now, more than five years since his transplant, Gonzalez is cancer free and devoting his time to building his foundation, Survivor Games, to support and connect pediatric cancer patients through playing video games.

Continue reading Mothers give the gift of life twice with cord blood donation.

Rhonda Armstrong Trevino, program coordinator in the Division of Pediatrics, wears two hats. She's a mom and an MD Anderson employee on the Family Advisory Council (FAC) in the Children's Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson.

As part of the FAC, Rhonda has the opportunity to be the voice of the patient and parent, while serving as a link between the Children's Cancer Hospital and MD Anderson.  

Putting patients first is at the core of the FAC, and her role as a mother plays a big part in helping her stay focused on what matters.

How it all began
In 2005, Rhonda's daughter, Abigail, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the left distal femur (left thigh) at age 12. While many girls her age were excited about starting junior high school, Abigail was struggling with losing her independence.

Continue reading MD Anderson mom tells what family-centered care means to her.

Horses, circus performers, musicians and a crowd of pediatric patients and their families -- it was a grand way to unveil a larger-than-life mural adorning the outside wall of MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Spanning 100 feet wide and 8 feet tall, the canvas of 25 galloping horses stands as a sign of hope created from the hands of more than 75 pediatric patients and their families at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital.

Performers with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus® kicked off the event with a special show for patients in Clark Clinic lobby, while Beads of Courage® staff members passed out beads to celebrate the patients' strength through cancer. When it was time to unveil the masterpiece, MD Anderson volunteer Mark Scheinbaum played his accordion as the clowns paraded the crowd out to see the mural.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony followed, recognizing the artists who worked on the mural. Bone cancer patient Julia Cobb and her siblings, Jenna and Jonathan, were selected and honored as winners of the mural naming contest with their submission of Light, Hope, Wonder. 

Continue reading 'Big Top' event celebrates new patient-created mural.

By Val Marshall

Val Marshall's cancer journey began in May 2009, when her son Addison was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. A visit to the family doctor for what they thought was a simple high school football injury turned out to be much more.

Inspired by her son's strength and hope, Val strives to be a voice that connects other parents on this journey. Her series shares insight into her life as a mom of a typical teenager who just happens to be fighting leukemia.

Addison Marshall crush cancer

In the many sleepless nights in the hospital, I chased sleep like a toddler denies it. I always returned to my "happy place" to visualize Addie's success in completing this 1,108-day jog that felt like a marathon without refueling breaks.

Continue reading Reflections of a grateful mother.

When kids go off to camp, some things are certain -- they'll come back with new friends, lasting memories, perhaps some dirty laundry and a bug bite or two.

The same rings true for patients and siblings at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital who attend one of the hospital's summer camps.

In June, more than 150 patients and siblings, ages 5 to 12, packed their bags and headed to Camp Star Trails for a week of fun. The special camp is hosted each year at Camp For All's facility in Burton, Texas, which is completely handicap-accessible.

Just like at any camp, patients and siblings have the opportunity to build their skills in archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, cooking, dance, creative arts, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, team sports and swimming. They also visit a small animal farm, a nature center and tackle the ropes challenge course.

Safe retreat
Children's Cancer Hospital's program manager Linda Blankenship makes sure that regardless of the campers' physical capabilities, there are activities that everyone can participate in.

Continue reading Camp Star Trails: Where memories are made and stars shine .

By Morgan Henry, Department of Social Work

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the whole family is affected. Understandably, parents and caregivers tend to focus on the pediatric patient while their other siblings may be unintentionally overlooked. 

Siblings and their interactions contribute to the family's overall function and it's important to consider their needs throughout the cancer experience. 

Challenges siblings face
Siblings of pediatric patients can experience a range of intense emotions including, but not limited to:

• Feelings of burden as they assume greater responsibilities and chores at home
• Conflict about having their own needs
• Fear of upsetting parents with worries related to cancer
• Feelings of isolation/exclusion
• Loss of companionship with their sibling, the pediatric patient
  

Continue reading Considering the needs of pediatric cancer patients' siblings.

By Janet Ruffin

Janet Hull Ruffin is an artist, arts educator and poet. She is finishing a book of poems showing what it's like to work with critically ill children in a major cancer center. She focuses on hospital culture, the therapeutic nature of art and spirituality.

She retired from MD Anderson in January 2009 after serving as the art teacher in the Children's Cancer Hospital for more than 10 years. Her position was special because the time she spent with patients and their families was not about diagnoses, examinations or treatments. They made art together. Currently, she volunteers with the Children's Art Project working with pediatric patients.

One of the most powerful forms of creative expression is achieved by combining art forms.

I practiced this concept working on a spirit guides mask project with the pediatric patients in the Children's Cancer Hospital. Spirit guide is a term used to describe an entity that remains a spirit in order to act as a guide or protector to a person.

The children and I began by reading a story about spirit guides and discussing what kind of information we would want from our guide.

Next, we brainstormed to decide what our guides would look like. Adhering plaster gauze to plastic molds of the human face made the masks. It was necessary to build out features on some of the masks, like the dragon and cobra masks. An eagle and angel mask had wings attached. There were also bear, clown and a superhero masks.  

Painting and decorating each mask took weeks because I met with each student individually at different time and in all different places.

Continue reading Combining art forms: spirit masks and poems.

Tell children something and they might understand. Show them something and they'll remember it.

In March, MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital did just that. Through two educational events, pediatric patients and their siblings engaged in fun, interactive activities that brought learning to life.

One fish, two fish
"Red fish, blue fish," read one 6-year-old patient. She was among many participating in Read Across America Day hosted by the Pediatric Education and Creative Arts Program at MD Anderson. The annual literacy day celebrates the birthday of Dr. Seuss, inspiring more than 45 million young readers across the nation to pick up a book and read.

At the Children's Cancer Hospital, patients spent the day reading Dr. Seuss books with hospital staff, making Seuss-inspired art projects, performing a "Seussical" play with Theatre Under the Stars,and finishing the day with a Dr. Seuss movie.

Throughout the year, patients have the opportunity to participate in various interactive learning experiences through the hospital's privately accredited school. This spring, students will become young entrepreneurs in the lemonade business, will take a special tour of the Downtown Aquarium as part of their distance learning curriculum and also will engage in their annual "field day."

Continue reading Education For Pediatric Patients: No textbook or Classroom Required.

By Janet Ruffin

Janet Hull Ruffin is an artist, arts educator and poet. She is finishing a book of poems showing what it's like to work with critically ill children in a major cancer center. She focuses on hospital culture, the therapeutic nature of art and spirituality.

I retired from MD Anderson in January 2009 after serving as the art teacher in the Children's Cancer Hospital for more than 10 years. My position was special because the time I spent with patients and their families was not about diagnoses, examinations or treatments. We made art together. Currently, I volunteer with the Children's Art Project working with pediatric patients.
 
I used to work at the Harris Country Juvenile Detention Center, so I was accustomed to making art with children in crisis and to working in intense situations. Nevertheless, I wasn't prepared for the emotional ups and downs I felt when working with children beset by serious illness. I also wasn't prepared for the grief and anxiety I felt for their parents.

Shifting emotional energy
The creative process has always been my passion, and I'm amazed at how quickly the simple process of making art can shift emotional energies.

It doesn't matter whether it's painting, drawing, writing, dancing, making music, shooting photography or cooking. Whatever creative activity takes you out of yourself for a time will work.

Continue reading Thrown Poems 'Shock the Mind'.

If you had to design a space that appealed to a 5-year-old as well as a 25-year-old, what would it look like?

That is exactly the question architects, patients, volunteers and parents have worked to answer for the past year about the renovation of MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital.

Along the way, they've learned that having access to an abundance of electrical outlets is as important as hot coffee. Primary colors aren't as kid-friendly as originally thought.

Inpatient rooms should be equipped with more storage, and sicker patients want a quiet space to wait separate from healthier patients. In addition, young adults want their own unique area to hang out with peers.

Architects partnered with parents and patients to get the new pediatric floor design right, meeting with the hospital's Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Advisory Council and Family Advisory Council to get feedback on plans and concepts.

A bedside perspective
Lymphoma survivor Greg Alquiza, 25, voiced his suggestions for the new pediatric inpatient floor to architects at the AYA Advisory Council meeting in June 2011.

"For me, I wanted to see more inspiring stories on the walls about survivors my age," Alquiza says. "It's also important to have creative ceiling décor in the rooms and large artistic structures around the hospital that give patients something else to think about besides their condition."

Continue reading From Patient to Blueprint: Designers Listen to End Users.

When Mary Belle Wooddy began volunteering at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital, the five-year survival rate for children with cancer was less than 60%. Wooddy, who has volunteered in the pediatric playroom for 35 years, has seen that survival rate rise to 80% along with a lot of other changes at the hospital.

Now, the 83-year-old resident of the Memorial area in Houston has hung up her blue volunteer jacket at MD Anderson. She's leaving behind hundreds of smiles she has brought to young patients' faces and is taking with her as many memories.

"I don't see myself as anybody special," Wooddy says. "I just hope I have helped the patients and parents a little along the way."

Making a difference
When Wooddy moved to Houston in the 1970s, she was looking for a way to contribute. She soon found that opportunity with her Tri Delta sorority alumni chapter, which had begun a pediatric volunteer program at the Children's Cancer Hospital.

Wooddy recalls that initially when she volunteered, the Children's Cancer Hospital didn't have a playroom designated for children.

"We would purchase toys as a sorority and play with children in the hospital stairwell, while they were waiting on doctor appointments or treatment," she says.

Since then, the importance of play has become a central focus for the children's hospital. With support from MD Anderson Children's Art Project, the Child Life Program was launched and a playroom was built in the pediatric outpatient clinic. Wooddy continued to volunteer and worked alongside child life specialists playing board games and making arts and crafts with the children.

Continue reading Volunteer Mary Belle Wooddy -- 'It's been a wonderful ride'.

By Johnny Rigg, MD Anderson Staff Writer

Making people laugh is the inspiration behind 13-year-old Shelby Taylor's book, "America the Funny," a collection of puns and riddles about the 50 states.

In July 2010, Shelby was a patient at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital when Martha Askins, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, noticed her.

"I started seeing Shelby in psychotherapy. She had acquired some side effects from the treatments, but she had certain well-developed functions -- her sense of humor and her spontaneity," Askins says. "She's very creative and thoughtful."

Askins believed that the young girl would benefit from the Arts in Medicine Program, where the primary goal is to foster joy through artistic expression.

"She had an amazing sense of humor, even as a little kid, and was always good with playing on words," says Diana Taylor, her mother. "She was writing stories at 5 years old. We have journals full of them."

Askins put Shelby in touch with Arts in Medicine Program Director Ian Cion.

"I'd meet with Shelby to work on illustrations for sessions that usually lasted about an hour. As we got closer to completion, we'd often work several hours at a time, going back and forth with drawings and ideas," Cion says.

Continue reading 'America the Funny' -- Young Patient's Sense of Humor Shines in Book.

A news story recently in the New York Times has unveiled a growing concern among pediatric oncologists and health care institutions at large. The injectable form of preservative free methotrexate, commonly used to treat pediatric patients with leukemia and osteosarcoma, is in short supply.

The bigger drug shortage picture
Drug shortages are an increasingly frequent and serious problem affecting health care organizations across the country. 

"A number of contributing factors are causing these shortages, such as raw material unavailability, manufacturing difficulties and regulatory issues, voluntary recalls related to manufacturing problems, changes in medication formulation, and industry consolidations and economic decisions," says Wendy Heck, Pharm.D., manager of drug information and drug use policy at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Regardless of the cause, drug shortages create great frustration for everyone involved, including purchasing agents, pharmacists, nurses, physicians, and patients. Fortunately, not all national drug shortages will go on to affect MD Anderson. 

"We meet weekly to review current drug shortages. If a shortage does reach MD Anderson, our team works diligently to develop a management plan to minimize the impact on our patients," says Joel Lajeunesse, vice president of the Division of Pharmacy. "For now, we have sufficient supplies of methotrexate for our patients."  

Continue reading Methotrexate Shortages Not Currently Affecting MD Anderson Pediatric Patients .

By William Fitzgerald, MD Anderson Staff Writer

A group of pediatric cancer patients from MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital took a special field trip to Crave Cupcakes to celebrate Valentine's Day and decorate their own delicious treats. The outing provided the young patients with an exciting opportunity to spend some time away from the hospital and enjoy the company of their peers.

"We believe providing different opportunities to our young patients and artists is important for their development," says Shannan Murray, executive director of the Children's Art Project (CAP). "Even though these children are dealing with a difficult illness, they're still kids and want to have normal experiences."

After disembarking from the hospital shuttle, the patients walked into a store filled with colorful frosting, candy and other toppings. With help from the gracious staff at Crave Cupcakes, the children jumped right in with wide smiles. 

The trip coincided with CAP's 2012 Valentine's Day Collection, a variety of gifts based on artwork created by MD Anderson's pediatric patients. A new collection of products is released each February, with sale proceeds supporting scholarships, summer camps, a rehabilitative ski trip to Utah and other patient programs.

Continue reading Sweetness in the Air at the Children's Art Project.

When families first enter the doors of MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital, they have one thing on their minds - eliminating their child's cancer. What they get is so much more. An entire team, comprised of not just medical experts, but specialists in education, child life and other supportive services, work to keep their child's life on track.

Alaska at arm's length
Using a Polycom video conferencing system, students at the Children's Cancer Hospital accredited school have the opportunity to interact regularly with experts from the Houston Zoo and Downtown Aquarium to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Video conferencing allows kids to travel virtually across the country to places they wouldn't be able to visit while undergoing treatment. In one of their farthest virtual field trips, patients connected with an indigenous community from Alaska and learned about their native dances and cultures.

Homework a click away
Being able to stay connected with friends is essential for patients, especially those from out of town. For many patients, the Polycom system allows them to connect with their school back home.

For patients who aren't up for leaving their hospital room, they can view programming from the classroom or PediDome on a closed-circuit television system. This is a welcomed resource for patients isolated to their rooms due to compromised immune systems.

Continue reading Technology Helping Kids With Cancer.