Isolation – it’s one of the first challenges a child may face after receiving a cancer diagnosis. Not being able to attend school, see friends or take part in other normal activities can be very isolating. Long hospital stays or hours spent receiving treatment can take their toll adding to the feelings of isolation. But staying connected during treatment is critical.
read more →
Heart shaped boxes of chocolates, fancy dinners, red roses, and greeting cards are synonymous with Valentine’s Day. And while the holiday certainly revolves around these for many of us, it can be a tough time to be alone in the hospital, especially for kids. That’s why it’s so important to share a little love on Valentine’s Day with a pediatric cancer patient.
read more →
Mikey Friedman founded Mikey’s Way to help pediatric cancer patients cope with what he felt was, “perhaps the most difficult burden: the psychological challenges of cancer treatment.” Not only do Mikey’s Way gifts bring relief but they also provide a pathway out of the boredom and isolation that occurs with treatment.
The Wish List program is an integral part of Mikey’s vision. These Mikey’s Way gifts bring relief because they provide a lifeline to the outside world. In fact they can provide a connection to the children’s friends, family, and classmates. In addition they help combat the long hours of treatment, the intense loneliness and sense of isolation.
read more →
When a child receives a cancer diagnosis, pieces of their childhood slip away as treatment becomes the top priority. And while friends and classmates are busy with sleepovers, baseball games, and playing with neighborhood kids, the child with cancer is busy with doctor appointments, medical tests and scary procedures. But, kids with cancer need some normalcy in a new world that is anything but normal.
read more →
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2021 – a time to raise awareness of pediatric cancers and to recognize the children and families affected by childhood cancers. It’s also a time to emphasize the importance of supporting research on these devastating conditions.
The color gold symbolizes Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2021. In fact the color was chosen to reflect how precious children are and the resilience of childhood cancer heroes. In light of this, join Mikey’s Way and turn the world gold in recognition of childhood cancer!
Kids with cancer face many painful and scary procedures that can be both traumatic and stressful. They endure long hours of isolating and lonely treatments. And, they face hours of what Mikey Friedman referred to as “toxic boredom.” But what Mikey came to understand first hand is that distraction can help kids cope with cancer treatment.
Mikey believed that there was an immediate and pressing importance to help cancer patients cope with the mental stress of cancer treatment. “We’ve seen that distraction and psychological intervention can aid in nausea. But there is much more.” he wrote. He believed that distraction could also help kids cope with cancer treatment. His own personal experience led him to believe that others could benefit from the use of distraction activities such as the gaming system he had.
read more →
Mikey lived his life savoring every moment. He knew the importance of each time interval. And as the clock ticked, he savored each moment. He appreciated his time on this earth; with relish, compassion and purpose. His work to create Mikey’s Way Foundation is a testament to who he was and how he chose to live his life and use his time.
In one of his many journal entries, “A Moment in a Two-Month”, Mikey expressed the importance of savoring every moment.
“Time is relative to the observer. Humans conspired together to invent the second as a means of measuring time intervals. Everyone lives by the second. It dictates the hour, days, weeks, months, and years. And the calendar keeps our engagements to the second in order. But time is relative to the observer. I am not bound to the second. Rather, I measure them in two-month intervals. When you think about it, both measurements are equally arbitrary; both are equally indifferent to the intrinsic behavior of existences. Only here’s the difference: my time interval is important; your second is meaningless.”
read more →
We are so proud and honored to work alongside the many extraordinary Child-Life Specialists and Social Workers at our Participating Hospitals. We celebrate them not only during their special recognition month in March but throughout the entire year! In our eyes Child-Life Specialists and Social Workers are all Super Heroes!
read more →
If your child has cancer and is about to begin chemotherapy, they may very likely experience hair lose. Unfortunately, chemotherapy and hair loss tend to go hand and hand. And for a lot of kids, especially teen agers, hair loss can be one of the most difficult and devastating side effects of treatment.
Losing hair takes away cancer anonymity. It’s like an emoji to the world that a person has cancer. And while some kids are able to take it in stride, it can be pretty distressing for others. Especially if a child isn’t comfortable sharing the news.
read more →
Medical tests can be scary, no matter how old you are. And for kids with cancer, it’s really hard because tests and procedures are a large part of their cancer journey. But by properly preparing your child for medical tests you can help lower their anxiety and provide them with valuable coping skills.
read more →