Family support for kids with brain tumors

Music therapy

Music therapy for children with brain tumors comes with countless benefits including:

• Reducing anxiety
• Building better coping skills
• Facilitating developmental progress
• Increasing range of emotional expression
• Improving communication and socialization

Our music therapist works alongside our medical and clinical staff to create a personalized care plan for your child. Together, we determine how to best help your child by determining whether music therapy should be combined with other therapies. Our multidisciplinary approach ensures children experience outstanding outcomes.

Animal-assisted therapy

Dogs can help your child physically and emotionally throughout treatment. The playful, furry friends can help:

• Boost participation in interactions
• Return to normal behaviors and activities
• Increase social skills
• Motivate and offer stimulation

Dogs offer stress relief, so we provide animal-assisted therapy weekly. Before a child participates, we verify they’re comfortable with dogs and that the therapy might benefit their treatment.

Art therapy

Children use art therapy as an outlet for expression and healing. Through art, your child can:

• Improve their physical, mental and emotional well-being
• Express feelings they may not be able to speak about, including fear, isolation, anger and loss
• Tell stories
• Gain a sense of control over life

Art therapy is a fun way to relieve tension for kids. It can also give our experts clues about a child’s unconscious feelings about treatment, which makes way for more personalized care.

Our Child Life specialists are dedicated to helping kids and their families cope in a positive way throughout treatment and beyond by:

• Utilizing therapeutic activities, play and different forms of communication
• Normalizing kids’ hospital stays by promoting a fun environment
• Including kids in social activities and supporting their continued growth and development
• Providing appropriate information to children and their families

Learn more about our Child Life program.

• A Special Wish: Grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.
• American Childhood Cancer Organization: Offers information, programs and resources to families with kids undergoing cancer care.
• B+ Foundation: Provides support and financial aid to families fighting pediatric cancer.
• Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation: Gives kids personalized experiences, or “Bear Hugs,” as they receive cancer treatment.
• Cal’s Angels: Grants wishes of children with cancer or offers financial help to their families.
• CancerCare: Offers counseling, support groups, education, publications and financial aid to families of cancer patients.
• Care Calendar: Helps organize friends and family who want to assist in practical ways, such as cooking, giving rides, caring for kids and maintaining household needs.
• CaringBridge: Allows patients and families to create free webpages that share their experiences. Allows relatives and friends to show support. CaringBridge also features informational articles and inspirational stories.
• Compass to Care: Schedules and pays for travel so families can access treatment options.
• CureSearch: Funds and supports pediatric cancer research and provides information and resources to anyone affected by it.
• Gilda’s Club: Provides families of cancer patients and their friends with programs, resources and supportive communities.
• Icing Smiles: Creates custom cakes for families facing a child’s critical illness.
• KidsHealth: Provides easy-to-understand information on medical conditions and treatments for kids, teens and adults.
• Look Good Feel Better for Teens: Helps teens with non-medical issues related to cancer, including hair loss, skin care and friends.
• Love Your Melon: Gives a hat to a child with cancer every time one is purchased through the company.
• Make A Wish Foundation: Grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to bring joy to their lives.
• Momcology: Connects parents of kids with cancer so that they can support and encourage one another.
• Patient Advocate Foundation: Helps patients solve problems with insurance, medical debt, health care access and job retention.
• PinkySwear Foundation: Aims to ease the stresses kids and their families experience while undergoing pediatric cancer treatment.
• National Children’s Cancer Society: Provides financial, emotional and educational resources to families.
• Normal Moments: Offers assistance with home management needs and provides support to parents.
• Starlight Children’s Foundation: Delivers joy to hospitalized kids through entertainment, education and experiences.
• SuperSibs: Focuses on supporting the siblings of cancer patients.

Brain tumor:

• American Brain Tumor Association: Funds brain tumor research and provides support and resources to patients and their families.
• Brain Trust: Hosts online support groups for people receiving treatment for brain tumors and related conditions.
• Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation: Awards grants for research into pediatric brain tumors, keeps patients and their families informed and offers them support and advocacy.
• National Brain Tumor Society: Seeks to impact legislation, regulations and policies in Washington, D.C., to help advance brain tumor treatment, funds research and offers easy-to-understand information to patients and their families.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation: Raises awareness of pediatric brain tumors, provides free educational, financial and emotional support to families fighting the disease and funds research.

Chiari malformations:

• Chiari Educational Lecture: Is my headache due to my Chiari? View slides or contact us to receive copies of the presentation.
• For more information on Chiari or syringomyelia, visit the Bobby Jones CSF website. Bobby Jones CSF (Bobby Jones Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation) is a non-profit organization with the goal of raising awareness and finding a cure for Chiari malformation (CM), syringomyelia (SM) and related disorders.

Leukemia:

• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: Raises funds for blood cancer research, gives patients resources, helps them access clinical trials and offers them support in a variety of ways.
• Leukemia Research Foundation: Focuses on raising money for blood cancer research, helping patients access clinical trials and providing resources to them and their families.

Bone marrow transplant:

Be The Match: Helps patients find matches for bone marrow transplants through a marrow registry. Be The Match also raises funds for research, supports patients and their families and educates them throughout the transplant process.

• Camp Kids Are Kids Chicago: Holds camps for kids with cancer in an urban setting.
• Camp Quality Illinois: Hosts one-week summer camps for kids undergoing cancer treatment.
• Lighthouse Family Retreat: Offers retreats to families fighting pediatric cancer to help them spend time together, have fun and discover encouragement through their faith.
• One Step: Hosts numerous camps at various times of the year, including family, sibling and summer camps and a ski program.
• TLC Camp: Allows pediatric cancer patients to bring a sibling to enjoy a week of camp.

• Advocate Children's Health Resource Centers: Offers easy access to health information online and one-on-one assistance and support at locations in Chicagoland.
• Wellness House, Gilda’s Club and Cancer Wellness Center: Provide educational resources, workshops and other support services to people affected by cancer in the Chicago area.