Every year, More than 150,000 new cases of cancer in children are diagnosed worldwide, and from that moment on their lives become a constant struggle to survive. However, we must never lose the perspective that these little warriors are children like everyone else, with the same desire to learn, to play, to laugh ... and even with the same fears.
And it is precisely radiotherapy one of the moments that causes more distress to children cancer patients, they must face it alone and that causes them great stress. Therefore, the worker of an English hospital has wanted to share a simple trick that is significantly improving the confidence with which children face this moment.
Connected through a magic thread
Lobke Marsden, mother of three children and a worker in the radiotherapy department of the NHS Trust hospitals in Leeds and St. James, in the United Kingdom, realized that one of the moments that worse faced children suffering from cancer was the radiotherapy process.
"As you can imagine, radiotherapy can be overwhelming no matter how old you are. Leaving you alone in a room with a mask connected to the bed to keep still during treatment is very hard."
"Most of the children who come are accustomed to having scanners with their parents accompanying them in the same room, but unfortunately, with radiation therapy, because of the risk of radiation, this is not possible" - explains Lobke Marsden in the HuffPost.
So it occurred to Lobke to come up with a simple and very cheap method to help the little ones in this phase of their treatment: the multicolored magic thread.
The idea consists of a coil of long thread that the child holds while in the radiotherapy room. His parents, or the relative who accompanies him, hold the end of the thread on the other side of the door. Each time the child wants to communicate with their parents, gently pull the thread and they respond in the same way.
With this simple form of communication, the little one will feel accompanied at all times, knowing that at the end of the thread his parents are waiting for him.This was explained by Lobke on his Twitter account:
✨ ”Magic String” ✨
- Lobke Marsden (@lobke_marsden) November 15, 2017
Children will be in the treatment room by themselves during #radiotherapy
To help ease separation anxiety the child holds one side of the string and the parent the other side, so they've still got that connection.
Simple but effective 😊 # ChildhoodCancer pic.twitter.com/saaJoaUfxC
"Children have to be alone in the treatment room during radiotherapy. To calm their anxiety about separation, the child takes one end of the thread and the father holds the other, so they continue to maintain that connection. Simple but effective."
Great fighters, but children after all
As we mentioned at the beginning, children suffering from cancer are great fighters They must face months of hard treatments. They spend a lot of time hospitalized, unable to attend school and unable to live a normal life.
But we must not forget that although the disease causes them to mature by forced marches, they are still children with the same interests, fears and concerns as the rest of children their age.
Therefore, these types of initiatives, along with others that we have mentioned as the fun covers to cover the chemotherapy bags, the "super formulas" or the lunar stations, are always a great help for children since It allows them to face their illness with confidence, security and a touch of fun.
Via HuffPost.
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