Donald’s Emotional Well-Being Post-Cancer Diagnosis
FTC: This post is sponsored by Aflac Incorporated
Around the time Donald was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, I noticed he developed a fear of people in white coats — it didn’t matter if they came to speak with us about his treatment plan, or if they were asking him how he was doing. He was terrified. I knew this was because of the needle pokes he received in his arm to help determine his cancer diagnosis. A valuable part of the hospital staff, child life specialists, showed me the value of medical play to help Donald through the fears and emotions he might be feeling but couldn’t verbalize.
At the time, we were unaware of any doll or toy made specifically for cancer patients. Our family took a teddy bear, made a fake access port and did our best to help him express his feelings and normalize experiences during active treatment such as blood draws, chemo infusions and other things he had done while at the hospital.
When I learned about Aflac's philanthropic commitment, I was amazed. For more than 25+ years, Aflac has donated over $155 million to help fund research and treatment for pediatric cancer and blood disorders, as well as created My Special Aflac Duck®, a robotic, comfort-providing duck designed to do all of those things we were trying to do to help Donald feel more at ease with his treatment. Although Donald is not currently receiving treatment, he absolutely adores his My Special Aflac Duck, which he lovingly calls “Duck Duck.”
When Donald received his My Special Aflac Duck, it included things normally used at a hospital visit such as a stethoscope, thermometer, syringe, and built-in chemotherapy port and tube! This duck can go anywhere, especially to appointments where your child may be doing something new. From personal experience, it really helped to show Donald that the “spaceship,” aka the MRI machine, or the radiation machine wasn’t scary and would not give any “ouchies.” Duck Duck is so helpful for post-treatment and helps him prepare for MRIs and PET scans. Simply playing with Duck Duck and pretending that he is getting a scan done helps Donald so much! I asked him questions like “What is Duck Duck’s job while he’s sitting on the table?” or “Should we read stories to Duck Duck so he doesn’t get scared?” or “How do you think Duck Duck is feeling during (or after) his scan?” Answers to these questions gives me insight on things that I can work on or reinforce with him during scans, since he is awake during them.
Another thing I noticed was that Donald had some issues expressing his feelings at the hospital and at home. My Special Aflac Duck has these really cool feeling cards that Donald can hold up near the duck’s chest, and Duck Duck will reenact the emotion on the card. It’s very innovative and helps Donald understand the emotion and gives him a tool to help others understand his feelings. For example, before Donald gets his port accessed to deliver needed medicine, I can ask him to access Duck Duck’s port, and he can show how he thinks Duck Duck might be feeling. This way, I can coach him vicariously through Duck Duck and inquire with his medical team on ways I can help him cope through the stressful time he has when he needs to get his central line accessed.
Not only can he do medical play on the duck itself, there’s also an app where he can virtually feed and bathe his My Special Aflac Duck! During the height of treatment, I noticed that Donald needed something that he could control. When he was diagnosed, he lost complete control of his diet and schedule (like appointments and inpatient stays). He had no control over what medications he was going to take and when — he had control of absolutely nothing. My Special Aflac Duck helps Donald regain some control over his life (as much control as a normal 5-year-old has). Even though his beloved “Duck Duck” was not yet part of our family during inpatient stays at the hospital, I realized that even though he isn’t in active treatment, it doesn’t mean that his My Special Aflac Duck isn’t useful — it’s quite the opposite.
Having a cancer diagnosis does not stop when treatment stops. The trauma stays with me personally, and I also see it affects Donald as well. For instance, when he meets someone new, he tends to want to show his port — it’s a part of him, so why wouldn’t he? It’s not easy for another child, even his twin brother, Ephraim, to comprehend. My Special Aflac Duck allows him to show Ephraim what an access looks like, what it means to flush the “tubies” with saline, and he can check his pulse or blood pressure, or listen to his heartbeat with a stethoscope. With the pretend medical items included with My Special Aflac Duck, Donald can easily show Ephraim what he means, and in a way, it helps him cope with what he has endured over the past year and a half.
Aflac wants to put a My Special Aflac Duck in the hands of every child ages 3 and up diagnosed with cancer in America, and the company is dedicated to helping fund research and treatment for both childhood cancer and sickle cell disease. To that end, Aflac is expanding its My Special Aflac Duck program to help children facing sickle cell disease (launching in 2022)! How amazing is that? I personally love Aflac’s goal and will help in any way I can to spread the word! The My Special Aflac Duck is 100% free of charge to kids who have cancer, and soon to children with sickle cell disease, via participating hospitals. Still wondering how great My Special Aflac Duck is? Well, how about this? In 2018, Time Magazine named it one of the best 50 inventions of that year. That’s right, a little robot duck was one of the best inventions of the year.
Because pediatric cancer is so near and dear to my heart, and I know the benefits of medical play, I want to help get your child (age 3 and up) their own My Special Aflac Duck. Authorized professionals at licensed health care facilities can order and reorder ducks online free of charge to give to pediatric cancer patients to use during their cancer care and own as their caring companion for life. Click here for the order form.
If you or someone you know is dealing with sickle cell disease, please click here to sign up to receive an email when My Special Aflac Duck is available for children with sickle cell disease (anticipated to launch in 2022.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post! These are things I learned along the way and wish I knew this aspect of childhood cancer. I focused on treatment and keeping my son well (of course!), that I did not notice he needed something to help his emotional well-being. I hope you get your hands on your free of charge My Special Aflac Duck, and if you did, comment below to share what you think of it and how your child likes it. It will help other parents like us!
Special thanks to Aflac for making such an amazing tool to help kids cope with their cancer or blood disorder diagnosis. Companies like you make the challenges in life for our kids that much better. I sincerely thank you!
Please like and share this post, and I’ll “see” you in the next one.
Xo,
Kell