Children’s Art Project at M.D. Anderson

Publication
Article
Oncology NEWS InternationalOncology NEWS International Vol 6 No 12
Volume 6
Issue 12

HOUSTON-For 24 years, young cancer patients at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have celebrated the holiday season through their original creations of greeting cards and other gift items . Proceeds from 1996 sales totaled $891,000, which funds programs that benefit M.D. Anderson patients.

HOUSTON—For 24 years, young cancer patients at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have celebrated the holiday season through their original creations of greeting cards and other gift items . Proceeds from 1996 sales totaled $891,000, which funds programs that benefit M.D. Anderson patients.

“The goal of the Children’s Art Project is, and always has been, to make life a little easier for cancer patients and their families,” said Tyrrell Flawn, M.D. Anderson’s director of volunteer services. “Sales of note cards and gift items not only put a sparkle in our young artists’ eyes, they also put a sparkle in thousands of cancer patients’ eyes every day, all year long.”

The proceeds from sales of cards and other gifts fund a wide variety of patient-focused programs, including 52 college scholarships for current and former patients, the Beauty/Barber Shop, which provides wigs and scarves to patients who lose their hair during treatment, summer camps for pediatric patients and their siblings, an annual ski trip for young amputees, an in-hospital classroom, music and art classes, writing workshops, and pediatric parties at the hospital.

Proceeds also fund child life specialists who are trained to provide therapeutic play activities and offer emotional support to young cancer patients. Through medical play involving puppets that pose as patients and other techniques, the child life specialists strive to provide each child with understanding and a sense of control. They also plan and implement daily activities and recreational programs to normalize the child’s life in the hospital and the outpatient clinic.

For a free catalogue, call 713-792-6266 or 1-800-231-1580, Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm Central Standard Time.

Newsletter

Stay up to date on recent advances in the multidisciplinary approach to cancer.

Recent Videos
Current findings from the phase 1/2 CaDAnCe-101 trial show no predictive factors of improved responses with BGB-16673 in patients with CLL or SLL.
Breast oncologist Jade E. Jones, MD, says she tries to send patients with BRCA-mutant HR-positive TNBC to clinical trials that use PARP inhibitors.
According to Benjamin Golas, MD, PIPAC is emerging as minimally invasive laparoscopic approach for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis.
2 experts in this video
Following progression on a CDK4/6 inhibitor, ascertaining the endocrine sensitivity of HR-positive/HER2-negative disease may inform sequential treatment.
2 experts in this video
T-DXd improved progression-free survival over standard chemotherapy among patients with HR-positive/triple-negative breast cancer in DESTINY-Breast04.
Related Content