RM Magazine - autumn 2012 - The Royal Marsden

OUR YOUNG PATIENTS
Gems of courage
The Beads of Courage programme has captured the minds of young patients
in the Oak Centre for Children and Young People, helping them to focus
on their recovery by collecting the brightly coloured beads
Play Specialist Claire
Riddell and young
patient Robbie Hannan
choose a new bead
he inspiring Beads of Courage
programme has started a trend among
young patients who have gone from
struggling with the emotions that cancer
treatment can evoke to focusing on collecting
beads to mark each of their treatment
milestones. More than 100 Royal Marsden
patients take part in the programme, which
aims to break down the communication
barriers between young cancer patients.
The beads have become a key talking
point between patients in the Oak Centre
for Children and Young People since the
programme started in December 2011, says
Play Specialist Claire Riddell: “The beads
have really helped engage patients who
would probably not have spoken to each
other before. I have seen 14-year-olds sit
and chat to five-year-olds and compare
beads. It has become a real ice-breaker
and helped the children and young people
to get to know one another.”
Young patients are offered the opportunity
to join the Beads of Courage programme a
month after they are diagnosed with cancer.
Each participant is given beads that spell
out their first name and a card that explains
the types of beads that are awarded for a
particular treatment.
Patients are given specific coloured
beads for every procedure and step of their
treatment pathway – for example, a yellow
bead for every night they stay in hospital,
a star when they undergo surgery, a lime
bead for every day they are in isolation,
and a glow-in-the-dark bead for every
radiotherapy session they undergo.
Claire says: “The beads are something for
them to be proud of and take ownership of
during a period in their lives when they can
have very mixed emotions. Every bead tells
a story of hope, strength and courage.
“I have noticed that some teenagers who
would not usually engage very much with
staff are now really animated when they
start talking about their beads. Some of
our younger patients have used the beads
in show-and-tell at their school to explain
what they have been through.”
The Trust’s shared care hospitals have
also signed up to the programme, enabling
children to carry on collecting their beads
at their local hospital.
Claire says: “Aside from giving the
children something to focus on and help ➜
The beads are something
our young patients can be
proud of... Every one tells a
story of hope and strength
CLAIRE RIDDELL, PLAY SPECIALIST, THE ROYAL MARSDEN
CASE STUDY:
Blue Tobin, 3
Blue underwent
chemotherapy for
acute myeloid
leukaemia last year
but, this February,
suffered a disease
relapse for which
he required a bone
marrow transplant.
Mum Francesca
Waite says: “The
Beads of Courage
have helped us all
so much. Blue has
more than 1,300
beads. They’re like
an inspirational
diary without
having to write it.
“Blue chats to
14-year-olds about
his beads and
treatment. If they
didn’t have the
beads in common,
they wouldn’t talk
to each other. It’s
lovely for them to
have something
to focus on.
“When Blue was
very poorly, Claire
gave me a special
bead for parents,
which really lifted
my spirits and made
me realise that I
was not alone.”
22 RM MAGAZINE