A big part of the care at Texas Children’s Hospital involves dogs: Yes, you read that correctly -- dogs.
For kids battling pediatric cancer, the hospital wants to offer them all the best programs and treatments available. It’s about healing the cancer, of course, but it’s also about meeting the children’s psychological and social needs. The Positive Paws Program, and the Arts and Medicine Program, helps work toward those goals.
“The kids are so incredibly wonderful,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, the director of the Cancer and Hematology Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, adding that the children shouldn’t have to be battling cancer at all, and sometimes, they’re staying at the hospital for weeks at a time.
The dogs help them get through the difficult times. They lessen anxiety -- one hospital worker said you’ll see it happen right before your eyes. These animas are instrumental at helping kids adjust to this new hospital environment.
It’s not just about cancer. Blaney said the process is about the patient and the whole family. To learn more, watch the video, above.