A SEASON OF HOPE
Daffodils, among the first flowers of spring, are affiliated with Canadian Cancer Society
Spring has finally arrived. I spent the weekend making multiple trips to Home Depot for plants, flowers, mulch and earth and, despite sore muscles from planting and digging, I feel fabulous.
What is it about spring that makes us feel so good? Is it the warmer days and longer evenings? The fact that we are more active, spend more time outdoors and see more of our friends and neighbours?
Scientifically, there is a relationship between good weather and happiness. More light tells the brain to stop producing melatonin, the sleep hormone. At the same time our levels of serotonin, the happy hormone, increase.
But I think there is more to it than hormones. Spring is the season of promise, of birth, of renewal and transformation. It is not surprising that one of the first flowers of spring is affiliated with the Canadian Cancer Society’s campaign to fight cancer. Daffodils, like spring, are a symbol of hope.
Hope is something that I see a lot of in my profession. It is something that lives within the walls of the Montreal Children’s Hospital no matter what the season.
Whether kids are in a wheelchair or have lost their hair due to chemo treatments, their capacity for imagination and hope does not waver. Children are enormously resilient. To put it one way, they have greater potential for neurological, cognitive, emotional and behavioural plasticity. To put it another way, kids are naturally more positive.
Just last week, I heard a young patient speak about his dream to become an entertainer. Through two rounds of cancer, he discovered a love of music and made a CD of his songs to raise money for research. Like many patients, he turned his experience into something positive and productive.
Hope surrounds these young warriors. In addition to their family and friends, they are supported by the team of medical professionals who accompany them on their journey. Doctors, nurses, therapists, dietitians, technicians — even administrative and cleaning staff — all join in each patients’ fight for the healthiest and best possible outcome.
Every day, miracles take place. Members of the craniofacial team transform the life of a child born with a facial anomaly. A neurosurgeon removes a tumour allowing a child to become seizure free. A premature infant who spent months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) goes home.
Donors and volunteers are part of the circle of hope also. A grandfather funds a piece of equipment to further research for a cure for his grandson’s blindness. A mother funds a support group for parents of children with eating disorders. A social club gives the gift of music therapy. A family foundation pays for a program which allows parents to accompany their child into the operating room.
You can join the circle, too. As you welcome spring this year, keep these young patients in your thoughts and perhaps plant a seed of hope or a bulb or two in your garden in their honour.