Pampering with a Purpose
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It all started with an award, Abbie, and the desire to bring something fun into the hospital setting. The fall of 2016, I received the Women of Worth award from L'Oréal Paris, and at the same time was considering an extension program that would bring pampering and fun into the hospital setting for young girls. Children with compromised immune systems cannot visit a spa or nail salon with their friends due to the possibility of catching any type of germ. Abbie loved painting nails, even set-up her own "salon" inside her hospital room while admitted where she painted the nails of nurses, physicians, and her friends alike. There was a nail cart created in her memory for Child Life to offer the same fun to other children admitted to the unit. We started by making small nail kits for children at our local hospital, and then in turn created an annual event called Abbie's Spa Day with ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation. This event will run for its third year in the spring of 2019.
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The program then took a turn into making small pampering kits in addition to the spa day that could be sent with gown requests, donated to hospitals, and local organizations too. Over 300 pampering kits have been made to date and given to three hospitals in addition to serving many families within our region. Each kit was made in honor or in memory of a child we have made a gown for that was diagnosed with cancer, just like Abbie. These kits are used for unexpected admissions for parents and children alike.
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