Last Chemo!!

Yesterday marked my mom's last chemotherapy treatment! She was at Siteman from 7:30am - 6:30pm and was happy to leave at the end of the day. Lucky me, she was willing to be my test subject for the stuffed band aid project. I printed out my written and illustrated instructions and asked her to tell me when a step was unclear. It was incredibly helpful and I was able to edit and make the instructions easier to understand after getting her feedback.

Diligently sewing

Proudly displaying our stuffed band aids

My proudest moment occurred when two nurses and three patients asked us what we were doing. The craft kit is meant to accomplish two things: 1. Be a calming way to pass time 2. Encourage communication between patients. I felt like a proud parent when one patient's husband, Ron, began a conversation with my mom after asking us what we were sewing. We learned that Ron's wife was receiving treatment through a clinical trial, just like my mom, because her type of cancer wasn't responding to chemotherapy. They were from Houston, Missouri and had to drive 3 hours back home that night. After my mom told them she was lucky she lived in Edwardsville, Illinois and only had a 40 minute drive home, another patient joined the conversation, telling us about his experiences in Edwardsville. Our craft project sparked interactions among at least 5 people that day.

I have come to realize that most patients are looking for an non-verbal invitation for conversation. Working on our band aid project provided that invitation. After a simple ice-breaker, like asking us about a silly stuffed pillow, people would immediately tell their heart-breaking or uplifting stories about their fight against cancer. 

The Conversation Starter