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April 2007
Feature Story
ASCEND Foundation brings Gabe's Chemo Duck program to MUSC Children's Hospital
On March 14, the ASCEND Foundation, a Charleston-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to make ending cancer a national priority, brought a new program to the Children's Hospital - Gabe's Chemo Duck. This program is designed to help children with cancer better understand what is happening to them during their treatment and encourages healing through the power of play therapy. Chemo Duck is an innovative and unique communication tool that provides children with a stuffed animal, namely a duck, who have been diagnosed with cancer. In a gentle manner, Chemo Duck exposes children with cancer to their new life and encourages those surrounding the child to join ASCEND in their fight to put an end to cancer.
Chemo Duck originated in 2002 when Lu Sipos and her husband Rob found out their 1-year-old son, Gabe, had cancer. Gabe struggled to understand what was happening to him, as life quickly became a never-ending round of doctor and hospital visits.
Credit: Kats Barry
In an effort to help her child through the experience, Lu Sipos took a present left by a friend -- a stuffed yellow duck, fairly generic, except for his oversized orange beak -- and gave it an extreme makeover. She dressed it in blue hospital pajamas and tied a bandana around its head. She added a chemotherapy port on its chest and a blood pressure cuff and borrowed empty syringes from her son's nurses and gave them to Gabe, who began playing doctor. They named the duck Chemo Duck, and the Sipos decided to the take the idea one step further - making it available to other children struggling through cancer treatment. The Gabe's Chemo Duck program was born.
It was Lu's goal to make Chemo Duck to children with cancer what Mickey Mouse is to every child. She knew she couldn't do it alone so she turned to the ASCEND Foundation. ASCEND took the program under it's wing and is moving forward with putting a Chemo Duck in every child's hand that is suffering from cancer and started the nationwide launch right here in Charleston.
The MUSC Children's Hospital launch took place in the hematology/oncology clinic. Charleston Mayor Joe Riley attended and shared his support to those involved. Hope Gamble, director of the ASCEND Foundation proudly read a proclamation from Governor Mark Sanford stating that March would be Cancer Awareness Month in the state of South Carolina and the highlight of the event came when Gabe, now five years old and in remission, presented the first Chemo Duck to an MUSC Children's Hospital family.
"We are so thrilled that the ASCEND Foundation would allow MUSC Children's Hospital to be the premier site in their nationwide launch effort for this very special program," said Phil Saul, medical director for MUSC Children's Hospital. "To be able to offer this to our patients and their families truly makes a difference in their medical care."
ASCEND, which stands for Anne Scandalios Cancer Ends Now Directive, was formed in 2001 as the result of Anne Scandalios' battle against breast cancer. Although Anne lost her
battle with cancer, the ASCEND Foundation through Anne's spirit continues her mission to make ending cancer a national priority. To learn more about ASCEND, its programs and
current efforts to eradicate cancer, visit www.ascendfoundation.org or call (843) 225-4055.
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