Nemours Implements Program to Help Children During Their Journey with Cancer

Nemours Enterprise
Monday, January 07, 2008 @ 05:30 AM EST
by: Cortney Owens
(850) 505-4739
cowens@nemours.org

Nationwide, 12,400 children and teens are newly diagnosed each year with cancer and start their journey to fight this disease. Nemours Children’s Clinic of Pensacola has teamed with the Foundation for Children with Cancer (FCC) to implement the Beaded Journey Program for newly diagnosed children with cancer in the Northwest Florida community. The Beaded Journey Program is designed to document and honor the journey children take as they deal with cancer. It is an opportunity for children to tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of the many steps taken throughout the course of treatment.

Children who receive cancer treatment and wish to participate in this program are initially given a length of cord strung with beads that spell their name. Each time a child has a procedure (ie, chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow biopsy, hair loss, surgery, remission, etc.) a special bead will be given by their nurse or social worker to add to their special journey necklace. This program is meant to recognize the courage displayed by each and every child during this challenging journey.

The beads, provided by FCC, gives each child an outlet to tell their individual story; a visual and tactile memento to keep that represents their journey, and something fun for the child to look forward to when coming to Nemours Children's Clinic or Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital for treatment.

“Nemours diagnoses and treats between 20 and 30 children with cancer each year. The Beaded Journey program will allow these children a chance to share their cancer treatment history with family and friends. As their beads increase, they can see their progress through treatment. It helps them cope as well as talk about their experiences," says Julie Eggen, a social worker at Nemours Children’s Clinic.

This program will be important to children and their families in many different ways, here are a few examples:

The start of the necklace can signify the beginning of their journey through cancer treatment.
It is an acknowledgement by staff to the parents and child that they are facing a battle one step at a time.
It is a way for the family to begin bonding with the staff. In some ways, it is giving a child a small prize and acknowledging how hard it is to come to get treatment.
It also gives them a visual of how far they are in treatment and getting a bead means they are one step closer to being finished.

modified: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 @ 10:37 AM EST
created: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 @ 08:41 AM EST

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.