BEADS OF COURAGE BRING JOY TO KIDS WITH CANCER

The official Beads of Courage programme has arrived in Starship Children’s Health, much to the delight of many brave children and their families.

The special programme, designed to encourage and strengthen each child on his or her courageous cancer journey, has been rolled out across the country in recent months and finally reached Starship in October 2007.

Each bead in the kit represents a different milestone along the cancer treatment path and the bravery that the individual shows in getting through that procedure.

“Beads of Courage has been welcomed whole-heartedly by the children and families in the wards. The beads give kids something to look forward to at the end of each procedure. It gives them a keepsake so they can say, I’ve been through all of these things. It’s really encouraging for them,” said Stephanie Moore, Neurosurgery Nurse Specialist at Starship.

The successful programme was developed in the United States and has since been adopted in many paediatric oncology centres worldwide. The Child Cancer Foundation was aware of the benefits of the programme and wished to sponsor all children undergoing cancer treatments in New Zealand to participate in the programme. Foundation staff worked alongside coordinators in the US and New Zealand health professionals to make the vision a reality.

Prior to the introduction of the official Beads of Courage programme, children being treated in Starship had the opportunity to take part in a similar beads programme. The official beads were received by Christchurch and Wellington treatment centres in July last year.

The beads come in approximately 22 different colours and varieties, 18 of which symbolise a specific procedure, and four for significant milestones. Outstanding ‘Acts of courage’ such as surgery or the removal of stitches are honoured with beautifully-crafted glass beads and other ‘special accomplishments’ receive a bead with an imprinted picture or symbol. There are also alphabet beads so the children can write their name on their own special collection. The completion of treatment is recognised with a big purple heart.

Many children on the Beads of Courage programme will accumulate as much as 400 beads during their cancer journey. They will have tackled countless procedures including x-rays, injections, scans, chemotherapy, radiotherapy sessions, clinic visits and antibiotics, as well as other distressing challenges such as hair loss and isolation.

“Its really nice to be able to do something positive for the kids because they’re going through such a hard time and they are being so incredibly brave about it. Its just one little thing that we can do to let them know how courageous we think they are,” said Stephanie.

All children being treated for cancer are offered the opportunity of joining the programme, however, in some cases it is not suitable for the child and family to begin straight away.

“We’ll let the family get through the diagnosis and slowly introduce the programme in that recovery time. We talk them through the beads then give them a little card with some more information. If the child is interested, we get them started straight away.

“Sadly for some children there are other issues going on. A few are dealing with things such as social issues or language issues and the new programme is just too much for them to cope with at that particular time. If they decide to start the programme later on, we can always go back and look at what they accomplished and bring them up to speed with their beads,” Stephanie said.

While the Beads of Courage programme provides a positive way for the ealth professionals to interact with the children being treated, it is also an encouraging way for them to interact with the siblings and parents. Many parents get involved with the programme and some keep tally sheets of their child’s procedures so that the beads can be collected at a later date.

“Most parents love the programme and enjoy being part of the process. They are good at keeping things up to date, and they know exactly what each bead is for.”

This year during the Child Cancer Foundation Annual Appeal, New Zealanders will have the opportunity to donate $4 or more and receive a “Support Beads” to assist with the funding of the Beads of Courage programme. These beads will be available from Hyundai dealerships, South Canterbury Finance offices, Professionals Real Estate Outlets, JK Kids stores, Mad Butcher stores or from the Foundation’s street collectors between 10 and 16 March.