On March 1, 2018, Shriners Hospital for Children received a generous grant from a Charitable Foundation.
This grant was for art therapy. The Child Life Department at Shriners immediately thought to invite CHAP to lead a weekly adaptive art class for their patients in halo traction.
Our first class on Tuesday morning, April 3rd, was a one-on-one experience with two sweet young girls in halo traction, Hana and Chloe. Both girls were immediately attracted to my bracelets and necklace, and although both were non-verbal, they expressed excitement in their project choice with big smiles. Hana did not have mobility in her hands, but was able to indicate with a energetic nod of her head when Jenn, the classroom teacher held up beads for her approval.
With Hana as art director, the two proceeded to make a sparkly bracelet.
I worked with Chloe, who was able to use her hands, although not always constructively. Before beginning class I was warned that Chloe had a powerful grip and would often hurl objects that she wasn’t interested in holding. Jenn announced art time by turning on lively pop music. And so we begin our projects while dancing in our chairs! I grabbed a beading tray and sit down next to Chloe, remembering to place the tray with beads a full arm’s length away! Inspired by Chloe’s pink sweatshirt decorated with hearts, I chose some of our adaptive beads, multicolored hearts, big cube-shaped letter beads to spell Chloe and a really big red heart to place in the very center of the necklace. I spoke to Chloe as I assembled the necklace, thinking out loud so she could engage in the creative process, the story of colors, shapes and the special red heart that we would put in the center. The necklace was finally finished and I tentatively placed it around Chloe’s neck. All was well for a few quiet minutes as we held our breath, then she pulled on the necklace and the beads went That was ok. I restrung the beads and once again placed the necklace around her neck, all the while talking about the special big red heart sitting next to her own heart. This time she smiled with pride, patting her heart and touching the big red heart bead on her necklace.
When I spoke to her mother the following week, she told me that Chloe loved her necklace and didn’t want to take it off.
(the names in this story have been changed to protect privacy)
Parents like doing art, too. We see this a lot at the children’s hospital. On a recent Wednesday afternoon at OHSU Knight Cancer Center, we successfully enticed a mom and dad to spend time creating.
Their spirits were high. Their son was acting more himself. In previous weeks, the illness, the surgery and the chemo had left so strong an impression on their boy, he really wasn’t the young man they knew. Glimmers were coming through that day. When the boy accepted our invitation to paint, his mother nearly leapt for joy. She eagerly agreed to paint with her son.
CHAP volunteer Julia delivered the palettes of acrylic paint and canvases to the boy's room. Soon though, the medical team needed to do a procedure on the patient. His displaced parents wandered down the hall to the Family Room where CHAP had set up shop. They had their paint in one hand and their canvases in another.
The husband worked quickly and quietly. His canvas quickly came to life. His wife of many years sat at the art table in front of him. At one point, he teased her by running the end of his paintbrush through the back of her hair. They had great playful energy between them.
His wife readily shared the good news about her son's treatment while she worked. The husband’s painting was quite sweet and we fussed over him. When we asked if we could take a picture of him holding his painting, his wife feigned irritation that we were giving so much attention to his "masterpiece." We had a good giggle over this and tried to bring a little focus to her project.
She painted the word ”Hope" on her canvas. When we photographed her artwork, she teased us and said we were just trying to be nice. All this was very light-hearted. The husband and wife worked with us for quite a while. They were clearly happy to have this break, a little time to laugh together.
We were honored to have a front row seat watching them connect, just by offering a little acrylic paint, some brushes and two small canvases. It doesn't take much to spread joy. We’re certain this good cheer trickled back into their son's hospital room!
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In October 2017, Susan Sherwood (Child Life Specialist on Doernbecher 10 South and long-time partner) pulled me aside and asked if CHAP would be interested in a one-time art event on campus. We immediately said yes, as we are always looking for new ways to reach children and families facing medical challenges. Dr. Blair Murphy was coordinating a Mask Art and Pizza Party on a Saturday afternoon for pediatric radiation oncology patients and was looking for a partner. Susan recognized this as a job for CHAP!
Three weeks later, CHAP was ready to work with Dr. Murphy and the OHSU radiation team. The two-hour event was hosted by Faye, assisted by long-time CHAP volunteer Jeannie. Young patients and their families gathered in the Radiation Medicine Department on the 4th Floor of Kohler Pavilion. This was a part of campus that CHAP had never traveled to before!
The mask we are talking about is called a simulation mask and is used in radiation therapy targeting the brain. Since the head and neck need to be positioned very precisely, a contoured mask is created. It is essentially a mesh replica of the patient's face. To make the mask, the radiation therapist places a warm, wet sheet of plastic mesh over the patient's face while he or she is lying on the simulation table. The therapist then shapes it to fit around the patient's head. The patient is able to see and hear while the mask is on. The treatment often takes two (2) hours and the need for stillness is paramount. The patient is lying down on a table for this treatment. The mask gets fastened to the tabletop to hold the head and neck in place.
The children had all finished their radiation treatment and were doing well medically. This was an opportunity to transform those symbols of stillness and patience into lively creations through the magic of art. The radiation team came up with a great way to ease into the project: They made simulation masks for Mr. Potato Head! The staff had the wisdom to anticipate that some of the kids might have unexpected feelings about decorating their own mask. Mr. Potato Head was ready to serve as a buffer. The children were also given an option to decorate the walls of Exam Room 9, where kids are taken to wake-up from anesthesia after treatment if needed.
A large conference table was covered with a tablecloth and converted into a temporary art work space. A few Mr. Potato Heads were sprinkled around the table, in between paint, markers and large 3-dimensional mesh masks. One of the young boys and his mom decorated his mask with a Batman symbol on the chest. A little girl glued feathers and pom poms to hers. A brave dad allowed himself to be placed on the table and a simulation mask was made for him, his daughter holding his hand the whole time.
Dr. Murphy was very pleased with how the day went. It is our hope that she will be calling CHAP again when she plans the next Mask Art and Pizza Party. This sounds like a tradition worth starting!
Thanks to donations from so many, we are able to take on new experiences like this one – and extend the healing power of art farther. Thank you for your support.
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