Saving Live’s is on Abigail’s Radar

Posted on September 15, 2014 by trio_admin

Abigail Cline knows what it means to save a person’s life. She does it everyday as a firefighter and paramedic for Springfield Township Fire in Ohio. Abigail and Radar

She also knows what it feels like to be on the other end, requiring lifesaving measures.

At 15 years old, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph tissue. As a teenager, stuffed animals were not necessarily the first gift requested, but Chemo Duck was different.

Abigail said her mom found an article in a magazine about Chemo Duck and decided to get her one. She is glad her mom did.

“I carried my duck everywhere,” laughed Abigail. “He was like my pillow on long drives to the hospital. He was my comfort during treatments in clinic and while I was in the hospital.

“I even carried him with me when I went to school. I mean I had him with me all the time.”

As part of the yearlong treatment regime, patients routinely undergo radiation. But when doctors explained that the radiation therapy would affect her ability to have children as well as potentially increase the risk she would develop breast cancer, Abigail refused it.

Abigail & Radar at the RelayHer fear of the radiation was also the rationale behind naming her duck Radar, short for radiation.

“I could not even go past the radiation area in the hospital without freaking out,” she recalled. “I thought naming him Radar would help me.

“When you are 15 or 16 and you are really sick, you revert to being a little kid,” said Abigail, now 22. “You are so scared. Having Radar with me made a difference.” Abigail & Radar at the Relay

While she was undergoing cancer treatments, her aunt was also fighting the disease, which allowed Abigail to explain to her younger cousins what their mom was experiencing.

“It really does help kids understand,” she said. “I could see how nurses would be able to use the duck to show and explain to them what was going on. It’s really a great thing.”

Today Radar resides on Abigail’s nightstand.

Over the summer she brought him along to the Relay for Life, a 24-hour long fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Her squad donned full gear (air tanks included) and walked until the tanks ran out. Radar was tucked safely in Abigail’s pant pocket as she completed multiple laps.

Vanderbilt Celebrates 10 years of Chemo Duck

Posted on September 5, 2014 by trio_admin

Chemo Duck turns 10

For ten years Chemo Duck has helped thousands of children treated for cancer across the globe.

Organizers of Chemo Duck held a birthday party to mark the milestone with nearly 50 party goers at the hospital where he was born – the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Each guest enjoyed cake and cookies from Cakes Against Cancer for Kids, decorated rubber ducks and Chemo Duck bandanas.

Lu Sipos, the founder of Chemo Duck, said the plush toy is more than a stuffed animal – it is an educational intervention that serves as a therapeutic tool to help children better understand the various treatments they will experience while undergoing therapy.

Chemo Duck turns 10

Chemo Duck turns 10“Over the past decade there have been many changes to Chemo Duck,” said Sipos. “The program has grown into far more than just a stuffed duck. We have come up with a variety of resources, games, videos and other educational tools to help kids cope with cancer.

“He gives parents a view into their child’s mind and he gives children a way to express themselves. Our focus has always been to guide families through that initial, brutal first few weeks and then provide them with much-needed comfort and companionship.”

Chemo Duck turns 10Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital is where Chemo Duck held its first launch party which made it very fitting to mark a decade of service at the very same place, smiled Sipos.

“I am so thankful for Vanderbilt and the support shown to us over the years,” said Sipos. “It all started right here and look at where we are now.”

Chemo Duck turns 10

As part of the birthday celebration, Chemo Duck donated six rainbow loom kits – one of the hottest crafting projects on the market – to the hospital. The kit consists of two plastic template boards, a hook, 24 plastic clips and 600 multicolored mini rubber bands – typically used to make friendship bracelets, rings and more.

Affiliate Hospital: El Paso Children’s Hospital

Posted on August 10, 2014 by trio_admin

There is no better way to share the impact Chemo Duck has on children battling cancer than through a testimonial video from a reputable children’s hospital. We are thankful for the partnership with the Children’s Miracle Network and El Paso Children’s Hospital for telling this story.

We invite you to watch Child Life Specialist Abigail Null explain how our therapeutic tools are comforting hundreds of children in El Paso.

Meet the Real Gigi

Posted on August 5, 2014 by trio_admin

Gigi Pasley knows the impact of cancer.

When she was two-years-old, her twin sister Jade, died after a bone marrow transplant to cure her of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML).

During the same time her twin sister was undergoing the bone marrow transplant, Gigi began chemotherapy for the same form of cancer. Gigi’s battle with cancer did not stop there. After two relapses followed by two separate bone marrow transplants, the then 10-year-old developed a secondary cancer called osteosarcoma in her left femur.

Now a four-time cancer survivor, Gigi, 16, is a junior at Centennial High School in Franklin, TN.

She is one of the seven cartoon characters featured in the Chemo Duck program to encourage, support and educate patients during treatment through play therapy.“I think it is really important to not over complicate things,” said Gigi. “I know that diseases can be complicated and confusing. But the people, who have the disease, need to be able to comprehend in the simplest terms what is happening to them.

“They deserve to be able to understand,” she said. “Chemo Duck puts that into practice in a fun way.”

Gigi said it is so important that Chemo Duck is cuddly and plush because oftentimes the medical environment that patients are required to be a part of for treatment and care can be frightening.

“All of the medications, treatments and rules are there to help you to get better, but it can be really, really hard and super strict,” recalled Gigi. “When most of the tools and things a patient must experience are not happy, Chemo Duck is something a doctor can use that can be like a security blanket.

“After a while, as you learn that you have to go through with the therapy and you begin to get use to the routine, at least with Chemo Duck you have something soft and comforting to hang onto.”

Gigi hopes to become a child life specialist, a trained professional with expertise in helping children and their families in healthcare settings overcome life’s most challenging events. Child life specialists promote effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities and utilize Chemo Duck in daily practice with their cancer patients.

All of us at Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program support Gigi in her mission and are thrilled to have her on our team!

Zack’s Mirror Image

Posted on July 15, 2014 by trio_admin

Ian Hughes doesn’t mince words.

“Chemo Duck is pure genius,” he said. “In a nutshell it is absolutely fantastic.”

Ian, is the father of nine-year-old Zachary and has been very pleased with how his son was able to use Chemo Duck to communicate during his nearly four years of cancer treatment while a patient at Birmingham Children’s Hospital in England, UK.

Zack, pictured left, with his younger brother Toby.

In December 2007, Zack was diagnosed with ALL. Soon after he received Chemo Duck, which the Hughes family carried with them to all of Zack’s clinic and hospital stays, which he simply called ‘Duck’.

“Duck gave my child a chance to understand what was happening or at least be able to rationalize what was happening,” said Ian. “It didn’t make things go away, but it did make going through some of the daily routines a bit easier.”

Chemo Duck comes outfitted with either a central line or a port-a-catheter, depending on the cancer diagnosis and treatment required. The Hughes’ decided to add a few other elements to Zack’s duck in an effort to provide their son with an even more realistic picture.

In the UK, the central line catheters are called wigglies. Zack’s grandmother made him a wiggly bag to hold the lines safely when not in use. Duck also received his own wiggly bag.

When Zack required a naso-gastric tube (ng), Duck got one too. Duck became a mirror image, so to speak of Zack, which was essential as the Hughes’ discovered that their son was dealing with more than a cancer diagnosis.

Within months they found that he had Klinefelter Syndrome, a set of symptoms resulting from additional X genetic material in males, which is characterized by signs developmental delays, speech and language deficits, and learning disabilities.

An autism diagnosis followed one year later.

Designed as a therapeutic tool to assist parents and medical personnel better prepare children for chemotherapy, Zack’s duck had a few unexpected advantages, said Hughes.

“Because of the Klinefelter’s, he has very little expressive language and cannot tell us that he is pain for instance,” explained Ian. “He couldn’t explain things or even talk. So we found that Duck was a good thing because it helped him with his frustrations and anger. We saw him either imitate what the doctors were going to do or if he was angry, he would take it out on Duck.

“For special needs kids like Zack,” said Ian, “Chemo Duck gave him play therapy and a way to rationalize what was going on. That was very useful to us as his parents to see that he knew what was happening.”

Now in remission, Zack’s last chemo was in 2011, Duck watches over him from a shelf in his room.

Sarah’s Six Funds a Flock

Posted on June 20, 2014 by trio_admin

Sarah Bonnell, at age 7, and Gabe Sipos, then age 1, had chemotherapy in the same clinic at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital every week for nearly a year. The two small children bonded, as they shared the same rare cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma.

“We knew the original Chemo Duck,” says Sarah’s mom, Diane.

Now 18, Sarah graduated from high school last month in the top ten in her class. She remembers those difficult days in the hospital with clarity. “I thought Gabe’s duck was amazing,” she says. Though her own stuffed toy, a special bear, comforted her during treatments, “I admired Gabe’s duck’s little port and his blood pressure cuffs,” she recalls. “I kind of understood what was happening in the hospital, but Gabe was so young, he had no comprehension about it all. His special duck helped make it seem less threatening, less scary.”

Sarah and her family wanted to share that comfort with other kids going through a similar experience. Together with Lu Sipos, creator of Gabe’s Chemo Duck program™, they created “Sarah’s Six.” Each month, the family funds six Chemo Ducks for delivery to children at three U.S. hospitals.

“We’ve always been inspired and humbled by Lu’s work,” says Diane. “We’ve watched in awe as she’s built and devoted her life to her foundation, and though we’ve made contributions from time to time, we decided we wanted to make a commitment to do more directed giving.

“It’s a way for us to pay forward everything that was done for Sarah and the people that impacted our lives along the way,” she says. “It’s not a lot—it’s a small contribution, but we’re so honored to be a part of this organization.”

Sarah chose Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital to receive the first round of Sarah’s Six Chemo Ducks, in honor of the life-saving care she received there. Thereafter, a monthly contest sponsored by Gabe’s My Heart will invite supporters and fans to designate three hospitals to receive Sarah’s Six each month (plus all other single duck orders place that month).

“We believe God took a small piece of heaven and sat it down in the place where Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital stands,” says Diane. “When Gabe and his family and Sarah and our family were all there together, it was one small area on the fifth floor of the old children’s section. They took such good care of us. I could give you a story about each one of the doctors, nurses and staff.” Even when Sarah relapsed, she says, “they were always in our corner. Ten years later, they still are.”

“First Gabe and I had chemo together, and now to be able to team up with his organization and try to make a difference for kids, it’s amazing,” says Sarah. “It’s an honor.”

She’s grateful to be a part of helping kids better understand and gain some comfort during their treatment. “The Chemo Ducks help make cancer treatments a better experience,” she notes. “It’s awful either way, but Chemo Duck helps make it more kid-friendly, helps take a little bit of the edge off.”

“Being there from the beginning, seeing Gabe’s duck program grow and expand to 150 hospitals is awesome,” she says. “We’re honored to team with this really successful organization that reaches multiple kids.”

You can create your own personalized form of directed giving like the Bonnell family did with Sarah’s Six. To learn more, please email us at info@chemoduck.org.

The Ultimate Comfort

Posted on April 15, 2014 by trio_admin

Soon after her son was diagnosed with a brain cancer called anaplastic ependymoma, Lisa DeYoung was scanning through a brain tumor foundation website and stumbled upon Chemo Duck.

She had no idea that Chemo Duck existed and is so glad she purchased one for her then 3 year old son.

The comfort and connection Chemo Duck brought to Jack was enormous, she said.

“He had lots of toys and things to play with and distract him, but none of them was like him,” said DeYoung. “I wanted to get him something that he could identify with and looked like him. It turned out to be one of the best things ever.”

Athough Jack, now 8 years old, is no longer in treatment, Chemo Duck is still close by.

“He had Chemo Duck with him the whole time we were in the hospital and when we had appointments,” she recalled. “Through the years he just got very attached to him. He still sleeps with him.”

The bright yellow stuffed animal not only served as an educational tool during his treatments, but became so much more.

“Chemo Duck is important for kids like Jack who are going through a lot of scary and new things,” said his mom. “Being able to show Jack and kids like him what is going to happen really helps allay their fears. He is an invaluable teaching tool and a source of comfort for kids going through cancer treatments.”

Each duck comes outfitted with a catheter sewn into its chest to resemble the line that is central to a chemotherapy patient’s treatment. Jack’s Chemo Duck has an additional resemblance – an incision to match that of his owner.

For the DeYoungs, it helped their son to be able to interact with something that was very similar to himself.

“Chemo Duck was the only toy he had that could be just like him,” she explained. “He was able to play with Chemo Duck in ways he couldn’t play with his other toys and he would hook up a feeding tube to him.”

Quilt Provides Warmth for Many

Posted on February 11, 2014 by trio_admin

When first-grader Olivia Rueter underwent surgery to remove her right kidney, she was holding tight to her Chemo Duck. When the Illinois six-year-old became cancer-free, she was admitted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital to have her port removed. “Ducky” came with her, but not just for support: she insisted he have his port removed, too.

“He received his own special hospital bracelet,” says Olivia’s mom, Belinda. The surgeon who performed Olivia’s surgery was adamant that she would also perform the port removal – for both Olivia and Ducky. “She wanted to make sure they were done correctly and with just little scars,” says Belinda.

“When Olivia came to after the surgery, she quickly checked to see that Ducky’s port was gone, too,” says her mom. “It was! He has been very important to her during this scary time.”

Ducky landed in Olivia’s arms thanks to a pink and white quilt made by fellow Illinois resident Nita Motogawa, who raffled her creation off in order to buy 17 Chemo Ducks for local children, including patients at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. Motogawa lost a young niece, as well as her mother and sister, to cancer. She’s making another quilt for a second raffle so she can use the proceeds to buy additional Chemo Duck.

“Ducky has been such an important part of Olivia’s treatment and healing,” says her mom. “He helped her get through so many painful moments. It was comforting to know that a little stuffed animal could do so much to take away her fear!”

“Thank you to Gabe’s My Heart for this awesome thing they do to help our little ones through this crazy illness,” she says. “I am so grateful for Nita’s gift, it truly is amazing! Olivia still plays doctor with him, nearly one year after her treatments ended!”

For a recent show-and-tell at school, Olivia, now 7, brought her cuddly friend and co-patient, as well as before and after photos of the two of them together.

“Those are my memories,” she tells her mom. “Ducky is very special to me.”

____

Nita Motogawa learned about Chemo Duck from a friend. “He wears a little bandana like many of the cancer patients who lose their hair, as my little niece did before we lost her to the disease,” says the Illinois resident. “It really struck home.”

So the 76-year-old, an avid quilter who serves on a county board with a family issues focus, decided to sew and then raffle off a quilt to help buy 17 Chemo Ducks for local kids.

“I’m overjoyed that I can help a family through such a time,” she says. “I wish we could have gotten one for my little niece.” Motogawa has already completed a second quilt for a second Chemo Duck fundraiser.

“It’s something to make some little people happier,” she says.

If anyone would like to hold a similar fundraiser and learn how she organized the raffle, Motogawa is happy to help. Call her for details at 217-868-2943 or learn more online.