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Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related deaths in children under the age of 20, and this year alone an estimated 12,400 children will be diagnosed with the disease. These children will learn and understand a medical language that reaches beyond the vocabulary of most adults. In our interviews with children with cancer, we found their conversations to be chiefly peppered with clinical and medical terminology. In researching the market for available tools to help these kids deal with the emotional aspects of their disease, we found little to assist them. In the data we collected from patients, families and oncology professionals, we identified several recurring psychosocial themes:
-Fear of being in the hospital
-Anxiety over being away from their families
-Isolation from friends and family
-Lack of emotional support outside
the hospital or clinic setting
-Feeling like an outsider
-Challenged self-esteem and self-image
The Solution:,
The Paper Airplanes Project directly addresses
the emotional aspects of cancer in children,
by providing imaginative products to be
used initially in a hospital setting with
oncology specialists and expanding beyond the
unit, into the home, to outpatient clinics and
even to schools. It is our goal to have
The Paper Airplanes Project become a
vital program component in every hospital,
cancer camp and outpatient clinic
across the country.
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