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Loom band life
line for children with cancer
A paediatric cancer
specialist from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has come up with a
unique way to make the most of this year's loom band craze to help
children during radiotherapy treatment.
It took 8 radiographers 2 months to make a 65ft long loom band which
is being used by children to keep connected to their parents during
their cancer treatment.
Sarah Stead is the Paediatric Advanced Practitioner Radiotherapist
at the region's specialist cancer centre. She came up with the idea
to help reduce anxiety for children when they are separated from
their parents during the treatment process. "The nature of
radiotherapy treatment means no one else is allowed in the treatment
room while the beams of radiation are being delivered to the
patient. This can be very daunting for anyone receiving treatment,
but for a small child to be separated from their parents can be
quite distressing for them. The idea is the child can hold one end
of the loom band while their parent holds the other end outside the
room. So keeps a connection between them."
8 year old Lowri Roberts from Llanfairfechan in North Wales was the
first to use the loom band life-line. She has just completed 14
radiotherapy sessions for Wilms Disease, a rare form of kidney
cancer.
Her father Wayne Roberts told us:- "It's hard to let them go,
even for a few minutes during treatment because you want to be there
to hold their hand and let them know you are there for them. The
idea of the band is a great idea, so simple and fun and it takes her
mind off it. She's been through so much. Anything that brightens her
day is a bonus for us!"
Sarah added:- "For children who have had stem cell treatment,
it is vital they don't come into contact with germs. I came up with
the loom band idea as it's perfect for infection control because it
can be easily wiped down and sanitised.
It did take a while to finish, we all chipped in and did as much as
we could on our breaks and lunchtime. I lost count at 4,000 loom
bands! And I think it's fair to say we were sick of the sight of
them. But to see how it's helped Lowri makes it all worthwhile."
Staff at the centre arranged a special visit from Frozen's Elsa on
Lowri's last day of treatment. You can see it on
YouTube.
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Hospital nurse
joins fight against ebola virus in Sierra Leone
IT was going to be a luxury
cruise to New York on the Queen Mary; but now Kath Higgins is flying
to Sierra Leone to help in the fight against ebola. The senior
Merseyside nurse, who is a member of the Army Reserves with the
Queen Alexander Royal Army Nursing Corps, will travel with 207 Field
Hospital to West Africa next month. "I had an
inkling that I might be called up, but I was caught by surprise with
the timing. I booked a cruise on a Sunday night and my call up
papers arrived the next day." said Kath.
Instead, Kath squeezed in a holiday to the Canary Islands with
husband Andrew between standing down from her role as Head of
Nursing for Planned Care at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS
Trust and four weeks' specialist training in the UK.
As Major Higgins, she will be in post as a nursing officer near the
Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, shortly before Christmas and be away
for up to 4 months. "I'm going to be doing very much
what I do in Southport and Ormskirk; being a nurse; but in a very
different environment. Local doctors and nurses in Sierra Leone are
particularly at risk from infection because they are treating people
who already have ebola. Our field hospital's role is to treat health
care staff and aid workers who become ill through their work."
Sierra Leone is one of a number of West African countries hit badly
by the ebola virus which typically kills more than 50% of people who
become infected. Ebola emerged in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of
Congo in central Africa and currently has no known cure.
Kath joined the Army Reserves,
formerly the Territorial Army, in 1981 when she began training to be
a nurse at the former Park Hospital in Davyhulme, Greater
Manchester. She was commissioned in 2005 and served at Camp Bastion
in Afghanistan in 2010.
Service life is very much a family affair. Her father was in the RAF
and son, Duane, was formerly in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers.
Husband Andrew is Combat Medical Technician and Warrant Officer
(Second Class) in the Army Reserves and only recently returned from
a tour of Afghanistan. They live in Burnley.
"In fact, from the date I
get back, we will have only spent 5 weeks out of the previous 12
months together which reflects the value the military places on
Reserves." said Kath.
Reaction among Kath's hospital
colleagues to her posting has been mixed:- "A number of people
are quite jealous and said:- "I so envy you,"
but others think I need my head testing. I'm confident...
I'll be fine. The Army is very good at making sure their people are
kept safe and properly trained for the challenges they face, both in
terms of their own ability and resources they're given."
She also believes the skills and experience she learns in Sierra
Leone will benefit the Trust.
"I'll be bringing back first hand experience of dealing with the
most serious types of infection control issues which has to be to
the benefit of everyone." she added.
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