Yorkhill kids get Beads of Courage

Staff at Yorkhill Hospital have introduced a new scheme, first devised in America, that aims to support children through their treatment.

Youngsters are able to choose a special bead that marks an event in their treatment progress, from central lines being fitted to emergency ambulance rides.

Neve McDonnell was one of the first children to take part in the new scheme.

The seven-year-old has been receiving treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) since her diagnosis last year.

Dad Chris said: "Neve has chemotherapy in Yorkhill every four weeks but she also has a daily dose of chemo at home, which we give to her.

"Neve had open heart surgery when she was nine months old after being born with a heart murmer so we know Yorkhill very, very well.

"I think having already had surgery has helped Neve cope with her treatment now.

"Beads of Courage is a great idea for helping children get through their treatment."

The Beads of Courage Programme has been launched in Yorkhill's oncology ward, Schiehallion, for young patients with cancer.

It is designed to support children and young people diagnosed with cancer or leukemia when they are admitted to hospital. Children are able to tell the story of their illness and treatment using beads as symbols of the milestones they have reached.

Each child is given a length of string and beads that spell out their first name.

As they go through what can be extremely gruelling courses of treatment, they earn a bead corresponding to each procedure.

A silver fish means a child has been away from home while an acorn means strength and a face bead means hair loss.

Special handcrafted glass beads have been created for children who undergo bone marrow transplants. Some children have strings and strings of beads up to four feet long, representing everything they have been through to get well again.

Clinical psychologist Dr Kathleen McHugh is responsible for bringing the scheme to Yorkhill.

She said: "The children go through so much and then suddenly their treatment is finished and it can be hard to adjust to.

"Having a bead record of everything they have been through acts as a momento of their time in hospital and can be something to show teachers, classmates and friends to help talk about what has happened to the child."

Beads of Courage was devised by a paedeatric nurse in an American hospital in 2005 and has since been taken up by hospitals around the world.

To launch the exclusive programme at Yorkhill, children already receiving their chemotherapy treatment will receive their starter kits at a special launch of the project which will hugely boost the patients' morale. Staff in the Schiehallion unit decided to start the scheme after hearing about the success of similar programmes in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

The programme supports more than 20,000 children in the US, Japan and New Zealand.

It helps to decrease illness-related distress, increases the use of positive coping strategies, helps children find meaning in illness and restores a sense of self in children coping with serious illness.

The charity Be Child Cancer Aware sponsors the Beads of Courage programme in the UK. They organised training for Yorkhill Hospital staff and co-ordinated the delivery of beads.

The programme has been funded by Schiehallion unit funds, which come from cash raised by families.

Gemma Cunningham's seven-year-old son Jack has been having treatment for ALL since his diagnosis in March 2011.

The 29-year-old said: "Jack has his ups and downs with his treatment. He still has until July next year to go and I am hoping Beads of Courage will help him cope with his trips to Yorkhill.

"The beads will be something nice for him to keep. Although it's not a good memory, I think it's important that Jack remembers what has happened to him and what he's been through.

"We have a special box for him where we keep photographs and the beads will go in there too as a keepsake."

Mum Michelle Goudie, whose five-year-old son Leyton Ferguson is also having treatment for ALL, said he was looking forward to choosing beads that would represent the three years and three months of treatment he is having.

She said: "Leyton has really enjoyed himself. He's chosen loads of beads and loved threading them on the string."

Yorkhill Children's Charity asked its supporters to sew colourful bags for the children to keep their beads in. Hundreds of people responded and the cloth bags have been arriving at the hospital for youngsters.

Tots Bots, the Glasgow-based maker of reuseable cotton nappies, has donated more than 100 bags to the cause, with more to come.

Project Linus, a non-profit organisation providing blankets for children in hospitals have also supplied more than 100 bags through their local sewing groups. And many members of the Schiehallion staff team have also been busy making bags in their spare time.

It is hoped that the scheme may even be rolled out to other areas of Yorkhill in time.

Kirsten Sinclair, Head of Fundraising at Yorkhill Children's Charity, said: "Projects like this programme make a real difference to the overall care children receive.

"We are extremely grateful to the kindness and generosity of our donors for their support which has enabled us to provide hundreds of beautiful bags for the children taking part in this inspiring initiative."

catriona.stewart@eveningtimes.co.uk