Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2008. That day I visited Mattie's classroom and got to see some of his illustrated stories. His teacher used to call this portion of the class, "writer's workshop." Where the children would bring in photos from home and then work on creating a story from it. Which meant the children were learning to write not only letters but forming letters into words and developing sentences. I have to admit that Mattie did not like writer's workshop despite the fact that his teacher always said he had a good story to tell.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- number of people diagnosed with the virus: 840,476
- number of people who have died from the virus: 46,611
About two weeks ago, we received feedback from childhood cancer advocates that some type of infographic was needed to capture the psychological and social issues that the childhood cancer community is facing during COVID-19. Certainly we have all been inundated with the more medical infographics almost on a daily basis (wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds; wear a mask or cloth covering in public places; social distance and walk at least 6 feet apart from others; don't touch your eyes, nose, and mouth; disinfect frequently touched objects; etc....). But what about the infographics focused on mental health?
- Keep to a schedule
- Eat right
- Exercise
- Avoid alcohol, smoking, drugs, etc
- Talk or connect on line with family, friends, or seek professional emotional support
- Take breaks from the news/media
- Get enough sleep
- Take advantage of outdoor activities (while social distancing)
Though I think this is a valid list, it truly isn't specific enough for the psychological and social concerns that arise for the childhood cancer community during this Coronavirus crisis. Yet I have looked on-line, I have searched through the materials provided by other organizations, and basically I can't find any advice or infographics tailored to our community. Mind you I have even listened to social workers give on-line talks about the mental health needs of cancer patients during COVID. Most of what they talk about is listed above. So it is very generic information.
The problem with all the talks I am hearing is frankly the speaker doesn't start with the simple disclosure that children with cancer and their families live with constant health anxiety and uncertainty. Similar to the uncertainty that the rest of the world is now facing because of COVID. So in a way, the childhood cancer community's skills, abilities, coping mechanisms and RESILIENCE can't be overlooked. After all, going on a cancer journey is not for the meek and in order to survive the day to day stresses of living with the disease, one has to accept and adapt to the minute by minute challenges and the uncertainty about having a future.
So I continue to be on a quest to describe the psychosocial impact of COVID on the childhood cancer community. Recently I came across the article below entitled, When Cancer and Coronavirus Collide: Fear and Resilience. The title caught my attention so I continued reading. The author of the article is a physician as well as a patient with stage four lung cancer.
In particular, the article states....."Yet people with cancer are perhaps better prepared than many to face an existential threat. We've developed resilience and learned to live in the here and now. When you confront your mortality, you realize that life is finite — there no time but to become your true, authentic self. You start to judge what you do by your own standards and express yourself truthfully." What the author wrote resonated with me. This doctor also wrote a book entitled, Roads to Meaning and Resilience with Cancer. In which he interviewed 39 people with advanced lung cancer and uncovered their coping strategies and how they find meaning in their existence and life.
Needless to say, I wanted to hear more about these coping mechanisms and therefore, I googled him and found his e-mail address. I wrote to him and he responded. We are having a video call tomorrow and I very much appreciate him taking the time to talk with me, while he is juggling his own patients.
When Cancer And Coronavirus Collide: Fear And Resilience:
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/22/818863524/when-cancer-and-coronavirus-collide-fear-and-resilience
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