The pediatric oncology unit at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital has a program where they give their patients a beads to acknowledge the procedures, tests, and experiences they have. We were presented with a long string and a bag of beads. These are the ones that Jacob has "earned" so far. This lasso of trinkets will represent Jacob's journey. (Not all beads are pictured).
Gold Ribbon Charm - cancer diagnosis
Ribbon Charm - welcome to Candlelighters Cancer Organization
Silver cat bead - CT scan
2 Blue Star - surgery
Biopsy Bead
Purple Teddy Bear Bead - Hospital admission
Colored bead for IV start
3 moon beads for his 3 sedations
Bone Marrow Aspiration Bead
Nuclear med scan bead for his bone scan
Gold Courage Charm for Central Line Placement (Port)
Red star with a yellow center - Port-a-cath Access Charm
Bone bead for X-ray
Dragonfly charm - Isolation (Jacob was removed from his shared room and his access to the playroom because he had the chicken pox vaccine. Because this injection is a live virus there is a tiny possiblity that he could display symptoms. Chemo kids CAN'T be exposed to chicken pox. So to protect the other patients from the rare possiblity of him getting chicken pox from his vaccination that he had two weeks prior, he was moved to his own room. All persons coming in and out had to wear yellow gowns).
Green Wooden Bead - course of chemotherapy
Butterfly bead - oral meds (he takes Zofran for his nausea)
3 comments:
What a neat idea! I love that! I DON'T love the length of the string...too long!
How did things go this week??
When Jacob beats this, I would love to professionally mount his beads on wire for him. I hope the nausea is beginning to abate. Zofran is such a great drug. Thank you for sharing this with us. I feel honored. Your family is in our thoughts and prayers. Please call if you need help with childcare. I can pick up Jessica from Kindergarten if you need it. On occassion, I could watch Jayson. I have all the babystuff here. Take care and God bless.
Post a Comment