When Emily was diagnosed with cancer, it made a huge difference to her and her parents when a physician was able to take a little extra time for her. Emily’s mother explains why the “Giving Time” project is so important:
“The experience of having your own child diagnosed with cancer—receiving a diagnosis like that—is unlike anything else. Nothing else could have torn us away from our normal lives with such force.
In this situation, physicians are the most important people for a family.
As parents, you need answers; you’re looking for reassurance. And that’s not something that can be discussed in a matter of minutes. For this, a physician needs a great deal of empathy and also the necessary time.
From experience, we can say that in an already difficult situation, nothing is more important than a team of physicians and nurses whom you trust—and with whom you feel you’re not just a number, but that there’s enough space to address the needs of the affected child and the family as well. It’s especially important with children to take enough time. Because only with time can the child develop trust in the treating physician, which in turn can greatly alleviate their fear—especially given everything that awaits them during these often frightening treatments.
Young patients are usually very frightened. They know full well that they’re not in for a pleasant time at the hospital. But if they have a physician who takes them under their wing and engages with them, that often makes things so much easier. Children still have that intuition that we as adults have long since lost.
In Emily’s case, she was actually only 4 years old when she was diagnosed. None of our treating oncologists believed she could handle her radiation therapy and MRIs without anesthesia. But I believed in her. And I took plenty of time to explain to her exactly what was going to happen—and that she wouldn’t be in any pain.
And there he was—this physician who took exactly as much time as we needed. He was our attending physician during the radiation treatment. He scheduled an appointment with us to simulate a radiation session, and I was allowed to stay in the room with her during it. Those 15 minutes the physician took saved Emily a total of 32 anesthetic procedures plus the port. I’m still incredibly grateful for that today.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the norm—there are usually far more patients and, relatively speaking, far too few hospital staff. That’s why I personally hope very much that the “Give time” fundraising project will be a huge success and that everyone realizes that even a small contribution can make a HUGE difference. Every little contribution brings a little more light into the children’s dreary hospital routine. It’s so incredibly important to provide affected patients with variety, a sense of normalcy, and perhaps even small highlights, such as sports or music therapy.
No child in this world deserves this, so for the children who suffer such a fate, their time should be made as pleasant as possible. From our perspective, the “Give time” project is essential for these young patients."