There's a cool new way to help kids with cancer keep calm during treatment.
Story by Upworthy.com & Northwestern Mutual
Dr. Hoag has been letting her patients try VR informally, and is getting ready to conduct a clinical study on its benefits. Image via Northwestern Mutual.
Jenny Hoag, a pediatric psychologist at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, tells the story of one patient, Jamie*, whose experience demonstrates just how distressing regular procedures can be for kids with cancer and other chronic diseases:
"I had worked with him since the beginning of his treatment, and he really, really struggled," she says. "He would get here and immediately feel nauseous and anxious and would almost always vomit, sometimes more than once, before we even did anything."
Image to via Northwestern Mutual.
Jamie rejected Hoag’s coping mechanisms, but once she suggested virtual reality, his curiosity won out.
Hoag brought in a virtual reality program that makes the wearer feel as though they're underwater, being pushed along calmly while viewing colorful fish, ships, and other distracting scenes. (Read the full story on Upworthy.com)