Bring healing art to kids in medical crisis

Little Soleil has an ear for rhythm and music and loves to sing. When a good song comes on, Soleil brings the dance moves. She loves art, using her imagination, dressing up, visiting fun places, and all things Disney. Soleil has an older sister and older brother, and possesses the determination and ambition that third kids tend to have.

She was a full-time crawler at 5 months old. She was pulling up and “couch surfing” at almost 8 months old. Her family knew it was only a matter of time until she walked on her own. In April 2020, just as the pandemic was hitting, everything changed. Soleil started falling. She could no longer crawl or walk along furniture. Her parents took her to her pediatrician and they didn’t find the change in her behavior concerning. After several weeks of visits to the pediatrician, a stay in the hospital, countless phone calls with medical professionals, and concerning symptoms, her parents could not take “it’s a stomach bug” as an answer anymore.

In June of 2020, Soleil finally received a proper diagnosis. Brain cancer. Soleil’s brain tumor was massive. It consumed most of the space in her brain. So much so, when they finally did the CT scan, she was in the operating room to release the fluid in her brain just 2 hours later. She had a successful full resection and underwent 6 months of aggressive chemotherapy and 3 stem cell transplants. 

“We celebrated Soleil ringing the hospital’s cancer-free bell in January 2021,” said her mom. “The feeling of walking out of the unit with your warrior is nothing short of amazing!”

While in OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Soleil and her family received free Healing Art Care Packages full of creative and lively art supplies from CHAP since, at that time, CHAP teaching artists were unable to meet the children in person due to the pandemic. Mom, Christinia, enjoyed making art with Soleil as well as getting creative on her own. “I had to keep sane,” she said. “And art was my outlet.”

When Soleil was home again, CHAP sent all three children a series of free CHAP in a Box shipments of themed art supplies. Her mom remembers marveling at the fact that a 2-year-old (Soleil), a 5-year-old, and an 8-year-old could all enjoy getting creative with the same exact art supplies in each of their boxes. “I don’t know how CHAP does that but they do,” she said.

Still able to be at home, Soleil continued to be monitored by sedated MRI’s every three months following her last cycle of chemotherapy. She maintained the status of cancer-free until last February 2022. One year and one week, from the day she rang the bell. The cancer had spread to her spine and treatment looks different now. Soleil had her second successful full tumor resection and is currently receiving chemotherapy 6 days a month and will be treated with proton radiation in the near future.

Soleil and her family are one of the thousands of children and families facing medical challenges that benefit each year from the healing power of art that CHAP makes happen. Making art of any kind has the power to reduce stress, provide an emotional outlet, create a distraction, and even bring families together. Art can provide whatever that child or family member may need at that exact moment. We’re only glad we met Soleil, her mom, and her whole family when we did so CHAP can support them throughout Soleil’s cancer journey.