Looking for a Charitable Gift to Give This Season as a Family? Consider a Chemo Duck

Imagine a child lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to tubes administering chemotherapy – how foreign that would be, how difficult to explain, how uncomfortable. Now imagine that’s your child, and he’s barely a year old.

That was Lu Sipos’ life in 2003 when her son, Gabe was being treated for cancer. You may remember Gabe from his recent role in this year’s “Country Strong” with Gwyneth Paltrow, Leighton Meester and Tim McGraw, filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, his hometown.

To comfort Gabe during his hospital visits, Sipos gave him what would become the very first Chemo Duck – a very special stuffed animal that helped Gabe feel better and teach him about his treatment.

Sipos had no idea she was accidently starting a charitable organization, Gabe’s My Heart, when she brought that stuffed animal to the hospital. Now, they distribute over 2,000 ducks across the country each year and that number is growing all the time, according to Sipos.

While they were in the hospital with Gabe and his duck, other children wanted one. Sipos says that really is the main way their program has spread – through word of mouth at various hospitals. Usually once a Chemo Duck makes its way into the hospital, the hospital will contact the Chemo Duck organization about getting more for their patients.

Chemo Duck works on several levels, according to Sipos. One of the main things that is especially appealing about Chemo Duck is that it makes the connection between the enormous strides in medical science and the under-resourced addressing of the psychology behind sickness and being hospitalized, which has not kept pace.

Chemo Duck offers not just comfort, but also helps teach kids about their treatment, breaks the ice between doctor and patient and gives a little bit of power back to the kid.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of having a child in cancer treatment is the complete loss of control you have over your life, Sipos tells Family First. They tell you where to be, what to do, what not to do. The duck helps give a little control back to the child because part of the appeal of the Chemo Duck is that it, like the child, can be treated.

There are two models of Chemo Duck – one with a Hickman line also known as a central line, out of its chest and the other with a chemotherapy port which is just under the “skin” of the duck that, in children, must be accessed with a needle during each chemotherapy treatment.

For the child, then they can give treatment to the duck just like they are getting themselves. Besides helping teach them a little more about the procedures they are experiencing, it gives a little power back to them during their time in the hospital.

Sipos says Gabe was particularly uncomfortable with the blood pressure cuff and so he would take it on and off his duck and talk to the Chemo Duck about what was happening. Eventually, he worked it out in his mind that getting his blood pressure taken was ok and he became comfortable with it.

Same goes for brushing his teeth – he needed it done a lot, even as a young toddler, because of the effects of chemotherapy on the teeth. Anyone who has had an 18-month-old knows how much fun that can be getting them to let you brush their teeth. With his Chemo Duck, he would brush its teeth again and again and he grew more comfortable with the process.

The challenge, as with most non-profits, is funding for more Chemo Ducks. If you would like to adopt a duck, you can send a $25 donation to Chemo Duck either through the website or print their donation form and send it in via regular mail. What a wonderful gift to give as a family this holiday season – the gift of comfort and help for a sick child.

For more information about Chemo Duck, Gabe’s story and to sign up for their newsletter of duck stories and new products, please visit their website at www.chemoduck.org.