Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2009. We took Mattie for a cruise on the Hudson River, while he was in NYC to receive experimental treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. This photo was taken a week before US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing on the Hudson River.
Quote of the day: Storms make trees take deeper roots. ~ Dolly Parton
I am very grateful that the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON), made Peter and me honorary members. As such, we now get their publication, Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing. In fact, in our Mattie Miracle mailbox today, the September/October issue was waiting for me. I decided to page through it, thinking that most of the articles wouldn't apply to me. However, much to my surprise on p.331, I found an article entitled: Pilot Study of Therapy Dog Visits for Inpatient Youth With Cancer.
Naturally you know the article interested me given that I own Sunny, and to me he would be the perfect therapy dog. But in reality, very LITTLE data is out there about the effectiveness or safety of animal assisted activities in an in-patient setting for children with cancer. Well until this very study.
But my interest in pet therapy within a hospital setting goes beyond my connection with Sunny. I remember so distinctly that while Mattie was dying in the hospital he wanted Patches, our calico cat, to visit him and stay on his bed. Yet hospitals being what they are, refused this request. I get it.... pets are NOT allowed inside a pediatric intensive care unit, and particularly cat fur gets everywhere and many people are allergic to the dander in this fur. I absolutely understood the logistics and why the request was denied, but at the time, I frankly did not care about policy and procedures. All I was thinking about was Mattie. It seems rather heartless to not figure out an alternative to a dying child's request, no?!
When Mattie was treated at Georgetown, there was NO pet therapy program. However, now such a program exists and despite no collected data at that institution, I am sure the dogs are making an impact on the patients, families, and staff.
With regard to Chubak et al.'s study, they found that 17 out of 18 respondents said they liked having a dog visit and wished they could have spent more time with the animal. Benefits were particularly seen in children younger than 13. In particular, distress and levels of worry and fatigue decreased immediately following a visit from a therapy dog. These observations were consistent with patient and provider survey feedback. But don't you love this comment..... one team member said that the dog visit was the first time the child had smiled or been happy in a long time. To me that said it all!
All I know is when parents are stuck in-patient with their children, we would do practically anything to distract them from the reality being faced. Pets have a way of not only serving as a distraction but also they provide love and acceptance like no game or toy. In addition, it is hard to be around a dog without wanting to say something and talk. Which is why they make such beautiful creatures for therapy regardless of the setting.
Abstract of the publication:
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1043454217712983
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