Story

BEADS OF COURAGE - IN ASSOCIATION WITH BE CHILD CANCER AWARE *** PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE - <a href="http://www.bechildcanceraware.org/beads-of-courage/" target="_blank">BEADS OF COURAGE</a> *** The Beads of Courage programme is designed to provide an additional support function for children and teenagers undergoing serious illness and treatments. The initial reaction to the Beads is “they are very pretty” but it is not until you see it in action and talk to children and care-givers that you can see the impact that they have. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjdpmv7SSSg" target="_blank">CLICK TO VIEW OUR BEADS OF COURAGE VIDEO</a> Major benefits of the programme are that it helps to decrease illness-related distress, increases the use of positive coping strategies, helps children find meaning in illness and restores a sense of self in children coping with serious illness. The programme also provides something tangible that child can use to tell about their exerience during teatment and for years to come. Making and displaying their beads of courage collection helps others learn about what unique and strong people these children are. As their string of beads grows, it is something that they can use to remember and retell the story of their treatment. Their story isn’t just about what is happening to them but it is also about how they are taking control of a tough situation. With each procedure or milestone in their treatment, they get a special bead. Each bead is their way of saying “this might have been hard, but I did it”. Another nurse said “I never would have expected for the beads to have such an effect on anxiety as well as compliance issues related to taking medications. I have also seen changes in patients coping skills and confidence with active involvement in this programme”. Thanks for taking the time to visit our Beads of Courage Donation site. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.