Having joy and laughter during chemo is of extreme importance for everyone concerned. With us, the treatment is very long and sometimes this really grinds on Kayla’s and my nerves. This is when it is really important to play a game or go out, to keep your spirits up. It is really easy to get totally involved in treatment and forget about having fun. Here are some things we have learned on how to have fun even while on treatment. These apply to any patient of any age.
Please note that on any excursions to public or crowded places Kayla wears a mask to protect her from any additional illnesses.
Artwork
Local craft stores have paint by number sets of all kinds. These are cheap and come with everything you need. It does not matter if you are an adult or child; this activity is good for your mind and spirit. Of course if you are already an artist then this does not apply to you. If you do not want to paint, find some other craft that interests you. The whole idea is to keep busy.
Beach Going
Avoid the suns strongest rays by going early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Before departure, check with your local government for red-tide, if there is red tide, do not go. We use a baby sunscreen that is SPF 50, this is applied 1 hour before leaving so that it is fully soaked into the skin. Make sure your medications do not make you photosensitive, if you are not sure, call your local pharmacy or check the medication on the Internet. You could always buy a beach umbrella for extra protection. The fresh air at the beach is always refreshing.
Comedies
Laughter is the best medicine, so good comedies are in order. Net-flicks is a great way to rent movies for a good price. Their web address is www.netflicks.com. Of course they offer all types of movies, not just comedies.
Dough Art
Get bleached flour and pour 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of salt into a bowl. Add water slowly as you mix. Morton salt has a manual you can download here www.mortonsalt.com/household/dough_sculpt.html. Dough art is inexpensive and easy to do. The great part is getting creative.
Fire Department
I took Kayla to the local fire department and they treated her like a queen. A full tour of the building was given and demonstrations of their equipment were shown. Kayla was even allowed to sit in the truck and talk through their radio. This was like having our private excursion.
Games
Play board games and card games. Call friends and tell them to come over. The more the merrier. Charades is also a wonderful game for any age.
Library
Your local library has many offerings. Most libraries are now online and offer a calendar of events for all ages.
Local
Search on the Internet for a tourist site for your local area. This will have links to all sorts of activities, tourist spots, parks, etc. These can also be found in your local telephone book.
Movies
Many cancers do not require isolation; others require a lot of isolation. With Leukemia we were told that if Kayla’s blood counts were down we could not go out. Here are the ways I figured out how we could have fun anyway. I called our local theatre and asked when were the slowest times for the movies? They told me Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Our nurse also told us to bring a blanket or a sheet and place this over the seat for the patient, this way the patient is not coming into contact with anything. Movie Theatres can be very dirty and the sheet is protection from anything on the seats. I also bring a big bag with healthy snacks in it.
Pets
We had two dogs but Kayla really wanted a small dog. When she was first diagnosed I told her to get through a year of chemo and I would buy her a small dog. We waited seven months and decided to go ahead and do this. It was the best move we ever made. Our doctor told us that the only pets cancer patients cannot have are turtles and snakes. Here is a video of Kayla with her dog.
Restaurants
The safest bet, weather permitting, is to eat outside. If this is not available call the restaurant and ask for their slow times. You can also find out if there is a table that is farther apart from the other diners. Make sure you choose a restaurant where the food is visible when it is being cooked and always fresh.
Senior Center
I was able to find a senior center that offered Macintosh classes really cheap. It was nice to be the youngest student in the class. : ) This particular center offered dance classes, language, and many others.
Socializing
Kayla is restricted from going to her friends houses because of treatment. For this reason I became the social planner and arrange to have friends come over, for our whole family. Studies have shown that people who have a social network fare better during times of stress. Don’t feel shy, call and invite people over.
Support Groups
On this site is a page of recourses. If you do not see anything specific for your particular go the American Cancer Society website. You can also reach the American Cancer Society at this number 1-800-ACS-2345. The link below is a locator for activities in your area.
www.cancer.org/docroot/COM/COM_0.asp
This is really a fantastic organization that is there to help you.
Swings
We go to the park when school is in session and we like to go early in the morning. There is nothing like swinging on a swing to lift ones spirits.
Walking
Try to find an interesting place where you can go for a scenic walk. No matter what Kayla’s counts have been I always try to get her out. It was another patient that told me it is very hard to get sick from anything outside. It was because of this advice that I made sure we got out and it has helped us a lot.