For children with cancer, there is more to life than treatments, hospital stays and clinic visits.

With summer camps, ski trips for young amputee patients, field trips and pedi parties, the Children’s Art Project puts the excitement of childhood back into life at M. D. Anderson.

Activities funded by the Project give youngsters the opportunity to explore new worlds away from the cancer center with peers who understand things like hair loss and medicines.

Siblings always are included in these programs because while young patients deal with a myriad of conflicting emotions, their well siblings deal with those same emotions along with feelings of loss of their family’s attention.

The time youngsters spend at summer camp and on field trips also gives parents time to relax and focus on themselves. And with M. D. Anderson nurses and child life specialists on hand, parents feel secure knowing their children will receive excellent medical care, if needed.

Whether the activity is a week at summer camp in the country, two days visiting a state capitol or a trip to a museum of fine arts, young patients and their siblings take needed breaks from cancer.

While the emphasis of these activities is on normal social and educational development, fun is an essential ingredient.

– Andria Frankfort

"Early on when Julian was receiving treatments for his cancer, it became clear that there were a lot of people willing to help us cope with the disease. For Julian, getting involved in the Children’s Art Project showed him that there were many things he could do at a time when he often felt left out. For my wife and I, various social activities supported by the project allowed us to meet and connect with other parents going through the same ordeal. It made us realize that we weren’t alone in our struggle and gave us a chance to share our experiences.”

— Dr. Gunar Zagars, parent and professor of radiation oncology at M. D. Anderson
 

Jeff Daly couldn’t be more proud of his daughter, Rachel, who holds one of her card designs.

“When a child has cancer, the whole family has cancer. The activities made possible through card sales and the unconditional support from child life specialists and volunteers have made our family’s years more bearable. I have seen first-hand the ways young cancer patients like my daughter, Rachel, have benefitted from the various programs it supports. One of the things that kept Rachel going through her years of treatment was her anticipation of going to Camp Star Trails and jumping off the high diving board.”

— Jeff Daly, parent and Children’s Art Project
Proceeds Allocation Committee member