Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2009. Mattie received a 3-D puzzle in the mail. That was a first for ALL of us. Mattie put the puzzle together, and it looked like a globe. On the globe were all sorts of sea creatures! Another Mattie favorite. This may not seem like it was hard to assemble, but it actually was quite challenging! If you look closely too, you can see the surgery scar on Mattie's right leg. Though it was healing, because Mattie had surgery on a leg and two arms, Mattie was never able to walk again. Why? Because when you rehab a leg and are learning to walk again, it only works when you have two arms that can support your weight. We learned this the hard way, no one prepared us for this loss.
Quote of the day: Human bodies are designed for regular physical activity. The sedentary nature of much of modern life probably plays a significant role in the epidemic incidence of depression today. Many studies show that depressed patients who stick to a regimen of aerobic exercise improve as much as those treated with medication. ~ Andrew Weil
In December, I had an email exchange with a psychology professor at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada. Meghan McMurtry sent out a message to members of the American Psychological Association's division 54 (Society of Pediatric Psychology), and our head researcher (who oversaw the Psychosocial Standards project) forwarded it to me. Basically Meghan asked for project ideas that her advanced undergraduate seminar class (which focuses on pediatric psychology) could work on to develop a usable product. As part of their course work, students are asked to work in groups to create a psychoeducational “Communication Product” which repackages information from the research literature so that it is interpretable to the public. This is the second year in a row that Meghan solicited project requests from researchers and clinicians in the community.
I had a 45 minute discussion with Meghan and our head researcher today. We are thrilled that Meghan understands the importance of the Standards and feels that her students can devote a whole semester to sifting through ALL 700 pages and consolidate it down to a usable document to share with treatment sites around the Country as well as with patient advocates. Having such a communication tool will be very valuable and I love the fact that Meghan wants to Skype us into her classroom so her students can interact with us and get to know our insights on why the standards were created and what role they will serve for children with cancer and their families. I love professors who integrate real world learning into the classroom. The students are not just working on a course assignment, but they are working on producing a product that goes beyond the borders of their classroom. In fact, a good communication product has the potential to help direct care around the Country. We look forward to working with Meghan and her students starting January 2017.
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