Tag Archives: chemoduck

We’re Quacking in Spanish!

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As part of its recent expansion into Puerto Rico, Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program is excited to announce that all of our online educational materials will soon be available in Spanish. 

In partnership with San Jorge Children’s Hospital in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Chemo Duck will make all of its website literature, including printable activity books and guides, available in Spanish.

“We’ll be able to reach so many more children in our country,” says Lu Sipos. “Expanding into other countries is wonderful, and being able to serve the Hispanic community in the U.S. is amazing. This means that even if a Spanish-speaking hospital or group across the world can’t access Chemo Ducks, they can still benefit from our printable materials.”

Spearheaded by Urania Dominguez of San Jorge Children’s Hospital in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the Spanish translations are a huge step toward reaching the Latino population. Dominguez organized the translations in exchange for Chemo Ducks for San Jorge patients.

“Healing happens faster when a child is happy and fun is part of his or her daily life during hospitalization,” says Dominguez. “The medical jargon and long hospital stays may confuse kids and make them sad; Chemo Ducks will be a wonderful tool for educating and giving our kids in the oncology unit a companion to help them through difficult and confusing times.”

Download the Spanish Guides and Materials
¿Cómo te sientes hoy?
Juego de la fortuna
Sigo siendo yo
La rueda de ejercicios
 

Have Yourself a Duck Dynasty Christmas

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All you Duck Dynasty fans out there – get excited! We are thrilled to announce this one-of-a-kind opportunity.The entire cast of the popular hit show Duck Dynasty has personally signed one of our very own Chemo Ducks and we are offering it up for an online auction through eBay with bids opening tomorrow, December 6, and closing Sunday, December 15.

This is a rare opportunity to have an item with so many authentic signatures on a single item. Get it for yourself or for someone you love this Christmas. It’s a great conversation piece and is for a great cause with 100% of the proceeds going toward Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program! In addition to the autographed Chemo Duck, the winner of this auction will receive pictures of Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson holding the signed duck. Other signatures include:

  • Si Robertson
  • Phil Robertson
  • Jase Robertson
  • Kay Robertson
  • Sadie Robertson
  • Missy Robertson
  • Jules Jeptha Robertson

BID NOW (bidding is now closed)

*Please note that bidding starts at $600 and only one duck is available.

Easing Sore Mouths & Mouth Sores

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Both Chemotherapy and radiation treatment can destroy the cells that line the mouth; this can lead to dry mouth and painful mouth sores. This can make feeding your child, a difficult situation already, almost unbearable. This may be a time to consider using more liquid meals to avoid having to chew solid foods. The following ideas are foods that are easy to eat and will coat little mouths to ease discomfort. – Lu Sipos 

Food ideas that help soothe a sore mouth or throat:

  • cold yogurt
  • frozen yogurt bites
  • frozen yogurt tubes
  • Jello-O
  • Jell-O Jigglers
  • cold pudding
  • popsicles
  • ice cream
  • soft-serve yogurt
  • mashed potatoes

Food ideas that are easier to eat with a sore mouth or throat:

  • mashed potatoes
  • bananas
  • pasta
  • smoothies

Recipe – Sore Mouth Smoothies & Soothies
Ingredients:

    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
    • 1 cup canned fruit, include syrup or juice (pears, peaches, mixed fruit)
    • add almond or vanilla extract to taste

Directions:

  • combine ingredients in a blender (mix completely).
    **For a Sore Mouth Smoothie: chill mixture and serve.
    Try serving in a sippy cup with a large spout opening, cup with a wide straw, bottle with the tip of the nipple cut off, or an open cup.

 

Reducing Nausea

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A child experiencing nausea and vomiting becomes a source of stress and anxiety for any parent. Usually the symptoms pass quickly and it is not necessary to feed your child much more than a bowl of chicken noodle soup. However, when children experience prolonged bouts of nausea, common in chemo treatment, it becomes important to identify foods that will not aggravate the situation and will be agreeable to an unsettled tummy. These tips are great for children that are feeling queasy for any number of reasons! – Lu Sipos 

Ways to Reduce Nausea:

  • try foods with minimal odor (scent of food can trigger nausea), such as baked or boiled chicken breast, plain pasta
  • dill pickles may help with the metallic taste sensation caused by chemotherapy
  • offer dry cereal, crackers, toast in the morning as low blood sugar can trigger nausea
  • offer snacks before bedtime or even the middle of the night to avoid an empty tummy
  • find foods your child can tolerate, add one food per day for variety
  • use a cold cloth over eyes when nausea strikes
  • sip clear liquids: tea and Ginger Ale may decrease nausea, flat soda pop
  • avoid fatty, greasy, or fried foods
  • avoid icy drinks, very carbonated drinks, very hot drinks
    tepid peppermint tea
  • Jell-O
  • try the BRAT diet foods: bananas, rice, apples/natural applesauce, toast
    offer Queasy Pops

More Than Just a Duck

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Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program strives to offer a variety of tools to child life specialists and social workers’ that can be used not only to educate your patients, but also to break the ice with shy or reticent little ones.

We have compiled all of our activities into one special area for kids so you can share the fun and games with your families. We encourage families, child life specialists and social workers to register for an account so we can keep you updated when we add new printable sheets.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for fun or exciting ways to use the printable activities please feel free to share them so we can pass them along to your colleagues!

Here is a suggestion for a GREAT way to use our cut out dolls

Purchase:

  • Magnetic printer sheets (available at most office stores)
  • Magnetic display board

Directions:

  • Print pages 2 through 7 on magnetic sheets
  • Spray the sheets on the printed side with a light spray of hairspray to fix the images
  • Cut out the pictures with scissors
  • Use an envelope or other pouch stuck to the back of the magnetic board to store the pieces.

Have fun with the kids creating scenes on the magnetic board with your patients!

Help! We Need Ducks!

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We understand that many hospitals are relying on Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program to provide Chemo Ducks to the children at their hospital. While we do our very best to provide as many Chemo Ducks as possible at no cost, it is impossible to keep up with the demand. We are committed to providing huggable hope to children living with cancer. By working together, we can ensure that every child you care for receives their very own Chemo Duck companion and has some comfort during what can be a very challenging time for families. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with you and to finding creative ways to grow your program and connect you with potential donors.

Please see the suggestions listed below and consider how we can make the most out of Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program at your hospital:

  • Assist all Chemo Duck patients and families with an introduction to the program and online registration
  • Identify appropriate organizations, businesses and individuals for potential sponsorship opportunities
  • Encourage families to take advantage of our free online resources
  • Promote Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program on your website and via social media
  • Spread the word about our partnership in your hospital newsletter and through a press release to your local media

Help! My child isn’t eating properly…

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 During cancer treatment, a child’s appetite is so intermittent and unpredictable that it seems like food and eating become a minefield for parents to navigate. For the next few months, we are partnering with Melissa Sharp from Another Lunch to offer options and ideas to families living with this challenge. Her flair for nutrition and making food fun makes her the perfect fit for the series. Although the collaboration was conceived to assist children living with cancer, these ideas and recipes translate to any number of situations and illnesses that affect appetite. The topics for the series will include how to best add calories, encourage eating, reduce nausea, and ease sore mouths.

Adding Calories
My son, Gabe, was only 12 months old when he was diagnosed with cancer. At that time, experience led the surgeons to think they should implant a gastric feeding tube during his chemotherapy port surgery. The doctors assumed that since he was so young he would be unable to keep his weight stable without nutritional supplements. Gabe’s oncologist decided that it was better to “wait and see” what happened with his weight and nourishment. We, Gabe’s parents, found ways to add calories to his food whenever he felt like eating and he did manage to maintain his weight throughout treatment. These ideas can be used help supplement the diets of any child who struggles to gain weight or needs to supplement their diet. – Lu Sipos

  • Use full-fat dairy products: calorie-rich whole milk as a beverage and as an ingredient when making meals such as cereal, macaroni and cheese, pudding, etc.
  • Add dry milk powder to mashed potatoes, pancake batter, etc.
  • Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on pasta and noodle dishes
  • Add extra noodles to soups
  • Offer French Toast instead of plain bread or toast and add butter
  • Frying foods and breading before frying adds a lot of needed calories
  • Create kid-approved smoothies by blending fruits with whole milk. Add honey and an instant breakfast mix for added calories and sweetness. Adding frozen yogurt or ice cream punches up the calorie content even more.
  • Spread peanut butter on crackers and use as a dip for fruits and veggies. For a super boost of calories make Super Peanut Butter (recipe below) in lieu of regular peanut butter.

Super Peanut Butter Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of dried milk powder
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of water5 tablespoon of peanut butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine dry milk, water, vanilla in a small bowl and stir until moistened.
Add honey and peanut butter. Mix until well combined.
Mixture can be stored in the refrigerator, but will be difficult to spread when cold.
Bring Super Peanut Butter to room temperature for easy spreading.

GreyStone Power Corporation Leads by Example with Community Service

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Judy Shaw hardly knows how to sit still. The recent retiree from a quarter of century tenure at GreyStone Power Corporation in Douglasville, GA always had a community service project on hand when she was working. But when her granddaughter was diagnosed with cancer a few years back, Shaw’s community service actions fell into step with the work of Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program and she hasn’t looked back since. GreyStone

“It started when one of the two annual run/walk events GreyStone had always participated in – didn’t happen,” explained Shaw. “My daughter-in-law had just shared Lu and Gabe’s story with me and we saw the Chemo Duck was planning a Mall Waddle event at CBL malls. GreyStone decided to do the walk for the Chemo Duck Program, and even made my granddaughter, Ashley, the matron for the walk. Lu shipped her a duck as soon as she heard about our story, and Ashley was able to carry it through the walk,”

Ashley Shaw had been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when she was just 5 years old. She hadn’t known about Chemo Duck during her treatments, which spanned a year, but Ashley’s mother, Elaine, found Gabe’s story online after Ashley had finished her treatments. The family was amazed and heartened by Gabe’s story, which was quite similar to Ashley’s. 

“My daughter-in-law had called and told me I had to read Gabe’s story,” continued Shaw. “We saw that Gabe was doing well, and that was such good news. Our family really related to the Sipos family in our personal experience with childhood cancer. After showing Lu’s video and reading her story about Chemo Duck, GreyStone employees knew we wanted to help,”

The 2010 Mall Waddle was a great success and the employee group held similar events during the next two years.

When another GreyStone employee’s son was getting chemotherapy treatments for a rare disorder, Judy shared the story with Lu and the Chemo Duck Program.

“Lu was kind enough to immediately box up a Chemo Duck and it send to me for him,” said Shaw. “He loves his Chemo Duck and takes him along for each visit to the hospital. They even showed me a video of him playing with the duck on the way to the hospital. What a wonderful friend Chemo Duck can be for children who are faced with an unknown journey ahead.”

The most important GreyStone fundraiser for Chemo Duck turned out to be the one Shaw didn’t even know about.

When they were preparing for Shaw’s retirement, a fellow employee at GreyStone asked if anyone wanted to purchase a Chemo Duck in my honor. They raised $1100! There were little yellow rubber ducks in a bowl at the party representing the 44 ducks that were purchased in her honor. “That was the best present they could have given me,” Shaw said.

The past three years GreyStone employees have raised more than $11,000 for Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program and have been able to supply two area pediatric cancer programs with enough ducks for the children they serve. Ashley completed her last treatment on New Year’s Eve in 2008 (also the eve of Gabe Sipos’s birthday). Now Ashley is doing well and enjoying fourth grade.

Chemo Duck Cartoon Premiere: It’s a Wrap!

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On Saturday, January 5, Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program premiered the “Making Friends with Chemo Duck” 

cartoon at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The cartoon was shown in the Children’s Hospital Theater and to the kids receiving in-patient care. The event, presented by BL Harbert International, was free and featured red carpet makeovers, pictures, celebrity goody bags, snacks and more! The cartoon was a big hit and it will soon be available On Demand through EZTV for all patients at Vanderbilt’s Children’s Hospital to view.

A portion of the cartoon has been available on YouTube for two years. It has been viewed more than 11,000 times. The additional final four minutes of

 educational material will allow us to teach thousands of children about chemotherapy in a child-friendly, non-threatening manner. The video sheds light on some of the struggles children go through and reiterates the fact that they haven’t done anything wrong and that they are still the same kid on the inside. Thecartoon appeals to children of all ages and helps them understand that they are not alone.

The production of the cartoon took three years to create and has been a true labor of love. We are so grateful to everyone who took part in the production of the cartoon, for the generous sponsorships and for the helpful on-site management of the event. It’s a huge step toward our goal of reaching out to children with cancer and helping to provide comfort, education and hope during a very challenging time.

 

Teens prove they (and chocolate on a stick) can change the world

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Leave it to a group of big-hearted Spring Hill teenagers to come up with a project that involves both fuzzy yellow ducks and chocolate on a stick.

Last September, Makenzie Fancher, Nikki Vaughen, Niki Hutchinson, Olivia Chastain, Kelli Messmer and Carly Smith were given a challenge by the Spring Hill Rotary Club. They had to find a way to use just five dollars each to make a meaningful contribution to their community. The girls, all tenth graders at Summit High School, decided to pool their cash and chose cancer as the cause they would work to support.

“But then we decided to somehow make it smaller, so first we thought how about kids with cancer? Then we wanted to support something local so we looked online and that’s when we found Chemo Duck, right here in Spring Hill,” said Makenzie

The girls were even more thrilled to discover the founder of the Chemo Duck program, Gabe Sipos, was a student at nearby Allendale Elementary School, where Makenzie’s mom is the PTO president. It just felt right.

The six friends decided they would make chocolate lollipops and sell them for a dollar. Soon the Fancher kitchen became a miniature version of Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory and the girls were cranking out dozens of pops in all different shapes and shades.

“We had white chocolate and dark, we made duck pops, mustache pops, stars and hearts. Everyone loved them,” said Makenzie.

Over the next several weeks the girls sold the pops in their neighborhood, took them to football games and their dance studio. By the time the Rotary Club was ready to convert their earnings into a check for Gabe’s My Heart, Inc., the girls had raised $550.

On November 16, the group surprised Gabe with a check at his school. Now 18 Chemo Ducks are on their way to the pediatric cancer patients at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Makenzie says it was very gratifying to see the surprised expression on the faces of the Rotarians when they learned they’d increased their money more then tenfold, but it was even better getting to meet Gabe, and seeing how excited he was about the donation.

“I hope we show what teens can do. I want people to learn from us that even though you are young you can make a difference and change a life, not just in something small. You can set your mind to it and can change many people’s lives,” Makenzie said.

“I am very proud of all six of them. This was their own project from start to finish. They took their 30 dollars and bought chocolate and cellophane,” said Gina “And they even cleaned up the kitchen themselves.”