Beads of Courage Program Helps Patients Tell Their Treatment Story
Whitney Schultz, 14, was not going to miss picture day at school despite waking up on Aug. 23, 2007 with a troubling stomachache. Her mother became concerned when she later called complaining of a headache and dizziness and asked to go to the chiropractor.
After visiting the chiropractor and primary care physician without an answer, the Schultz family headed to the local hospital where a physician’s assistant identified the cause of Whitney’s troubling symptoms: a tumor at the base of her brain, blocking spinal fluids from traveling down her spinal cord.
“Looking back now I see the signs how she had these terrible headaches and she didn’t want to eat,” said Dawn Schultz.
Journey to Children's
Whitney and her father Mike were immediately flown via Flight for Life to The Children’s Hospital, 220 miles from their Brewster, Kansas home, on Labor Day. On Sept. 5, she had surgery to remove the walnut-sized mass.
She spent several weeks at the former hospital recuperating before being transferred to the new Children’s location on Sept. 29.
There Whitney met therapeutic recreational child life specialist Allison Donohue who introduced herself as the “Fun Lady” and told the family about Children’s Beads of Courage program that helps children tell their treatment story using beads as symbols of courage.
The first beads
Allison helped Whitney create her first strand, spelling out her name. Those seven beads were connected to glow-in-the-dark beads the radiation team gave her when she began chemo/radiation treatments in October.
When Whitney was transferred from the old hospital to the new campus, she received a Children’s Balloon Boy bead and bear bead representing the move and the floor she was relocated to.
One bead adorned with bumpy dots serves as her guardian angel; Whitney was gifted the bead and told “many eyes were watching over her.” Her dad’s favorite bead is that of a bee-hived lady that Whitney received when she began losing hair. The bead gives promise and smiles to both dad and daughter.
A bluish-purple, polka-dot glass bead signifies a glorious time in her life, the prom, and even mimics the look of her gown. And others remind her of the steps she’s taken during treatment, the milestones of a young person’s life: receiving her driver’s permit, the end of a school year, making the golf team. (She will even receive one for her interview!)
Since her diagnosis Whitney has acquired three, long strands she proudly wears to Denver . And Whitney is only eager to continue marking milestones with beads received from her friend, Allison.
Beads as incentives
Allison baits Whitney to achieve treatment milestones. “She lacked an appetite and had lost too much weight due to treatment at one point, but I told her I would give a glass bead for each pound she gained back,” said Donohue, who keeps a special “Whitney” drawer of beads they’ve chosen together.
Whitney took the challenge and, along with her family, made a point of indulging at Denver eateries. The beloved strands of beads helped tip the scales as Whitney “forgot” to remove them during weigh-ins. Allison didn’t mind a bit of cheating, as long as Whitney regained her appetite and eight pounds in preparation for the final two of the nine rounds of treatment.
Returning to Children’s every four to six weeks, the Schultzes consider Colorado their second home. “The first time I stepped into Children’s I thought it was like Disney World; we’ve met some great people at this unique place,” said Mike. And each visit earns Whitney a square bead signifying her trip between Kansas and her home-away-from-home, Children’s. However, “the countdown is on,” as her mom notes; Whitney is set to finish her treatment in late September.
Learn more about the Beads of Courage program. For more information about the program at The Children's Hospital, call program coordinator Allison Donohue at 720-777-1234.
