Children coping with the effects of cancer within their family are being given a friendly monster to help them through their anxieties.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity has teamed up with Lincoln County Hospital’s Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service to provide colourful furry monsters help children cope when a member of their family is diagnosed with cancer.
The idea of the Worry Monster is for children to write their worries on a piece of paper, unzip the monster’s mouth and put the worry in it for the monster to eat. The parents can then read the child’s worries and either post a response back or sit and talk with the child about their anxieties.
The Macmillan Cancer Information Support Service Lead Nurse, Beverley Flockhart, said: “It is a sad time when families come to the unit and ask for more information to help their children cope with the cancer diagnosis of a member of their family.
“The worry monsters are an amazing resource. Sometimes writing down a worry can be helpful in itself. So, when a troubling thought comes into a child’s mind, they can scribble down their thoughts or draw a picture and feed it to their worry monster.”
Charity Manager Ben Petts said: “United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity exists to provide additional equipment and resources for our patients and their families that the NHS cannot fund. The worry monsters are part of a suite of resources that we can provide for families living with cancer. Thanks to our supporters, more than 190 children now have one of these friendly monsters to help them through such a worrying time in their lives.”
The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service has three hospital-based information centres at Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital, Boston and Grantham and District Hospital. The service is available whether people have a cancer diagnosis, need help and advice on behalf of a friend or relative, or are worried about cancer. Health and social care professionals can also use the centre as a resource for themselves or for information and support for their patients.
More information on the work of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity can be found on the website: www.ulhcharity.org.uk.
More information on the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service can be found by visiting https://www.ulh.nhs.uk/services/macmillan/, or alternatively, for information, support or just someone to talk to, call Macmillan’s free, confidential support line 7-days a week on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk/whateveryouneed.
