8 ketteringhealth.org CLIMB meetings. “They looked forward to it every Wednesday,” says Melissa. “They would say ‘When is CLIMB?’ and ‘We can’t be late!’” The CLIMB program helps kids learn about cancer and treatment. Plush toys shaped like different kinds of cells give kids a visual of what’s going on inside their loved one’s body and help them understand chemotherapy and radiation. Other activities include using a stuffed animal to show kids where a port is placed and decorating cookies to learn about healthy cells and cancer cells. The kids toured where their dad would receive chemotherapy and spoke with medical professionals about what treatment looks like. And they heard everything in a way they could understand. CLIMB also helps children learn how to process their complicated emotions. Activities like making a worry box gave the kids a way to discuss and then “store their worries” instead of carrying them around. “I could see the de-escalation, the de-stressing, the overall demeanor of my children changing,” Melissa says. Patient story —Continued from page 7 Invaluable lessons learned Before CLIMB, Joseph didn’t want to leave his parents’ side. “He was in bed with us when I hemorrhaged,” Melissa explains. “He went to bed with us and [when he] woke up, his mom was gone.” After Chris’ diagnosis, it took them months to get Joseph to sleep in his own bed. He worried that he’d wake up and his dad wouldn’t be there. “The CLIMB program gave our kids the tools to process this situation and their emotions,” she says. “It gave them an outlet besides Mom and Dad to talk about it. They learned that there are [other] people there to help.” Bubbles, boxes, and the “three Cs” Eva says her favorite parts of the program were an outdoor bubble activity, learning how they could help their parents with cancer, and creating her worry box, because when they write down their worries CLIMB: Children’s Lives Include Moments of Bravery Kettering Health’s CLIMB program is offered as a six-week evening class in spring and fall. It is open to any child with a loved one dealing with a cancer diagnosis, regardless of the patient’s relationship to the child (parent, grandparent, sibling, teacher, neighbor, etc.) or where the patient is receiving their treatment. There is no charge for the program. HELP IS HERE To learn more about Kettering Health’s CLIMB program or to register, visit ketteringhealth.org/cancercare or call DeAnn Gallatin at 1-888-681-5610.
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