How you’re helping kids with cancer overcome loneliness

As Maia’s treatment progressed, it became apparent to Ellalee that the social isolation for her young and usually playful daughter was nearly as big of a challenge as the treatment itself. She says:

“You know it’s going to be hard, but one thing I never expected was how lonely her treatment would be for her.”

“Because of the intensity of cancer treatments on her little body weakening her immune system, it hasn’t been safe for her to see her friends or go anywhere there are other kids. In reality, her treatments have also made her too weak to do anything or even get out of bed for much of her time in hospital.”

“I’ve found that being in hospital for quite an extended time really suffocates her. And it becomes their life. So even out of hospital, I find she talks about her treatment, she talks about her port, she talks about just hospital and medicine and stuff − because that’s her life for now. And it’s quite sad, you need the small things to keep them a kid and keep them distracted from that."

“From that moment, her little bear buddy was her world. She was still bed-bound, but she’d send me around the hospital before every procedure to find some others from the play areas to protect her before her next procedure.”

For the next months as Maia’s chemotherapy continued, sharing the joy that her bear had given her was a top priority. Her new neighbour in hospital, another girl around Maia’s age facing her own cancer battle, was looking for a Deedee Dinosaur bear to keep her company – the very one that Maia had. Ellalee says:

“One of my proudest moments was when Maia was well enough to leave her room, she gave her favourite bear – Dino – away to one of her little friends in the next room over who was desperate for the cuddly dinosaur one. Maia now has the little unicorn instead, but she wanted to make sure all the other kids had the bear they wanted. It made both of them so happy and filled my heart that they were looking out for each other.”

“Cancer really takes everything from kids − their whole life becomes treatments, hospital and the opposite of what childhood should be. Anything that can give them some company, some happiness, a glimmer of joy during that time, however long it turns out to be, is worth its weight in gold.

“To people like you, who gift bears to kids like Maia, I just want to let you know the impact that the bears have on sick children, and how much joy, comfort and happiness they bring to kids who are in the hospital and have nobody. The bears are their friends − they become their friends and their protectors.”