Palliative Care Program for Children with cancer

During October-December 2018 Tabletochki supported 15 families with children who has palliative status.

The overall expenses were $14043 (not including December as far as internal report is not completed yet). We purchased medicines for $3240, we have provided the targeted assistance for $2444, medical examination for $215, special nutrition for $196, medical equipment for $180, we paid for funeral services $361, we paid for psychology services $3255, psychological parents meetings for $630, we purchased consumable materials $600 and paid $804 for other expenses. Administrative expenses made $2118.

A special place in our palliative program is occupied by psychological meetings for parents. Christmas angels, toys for a box of courage and a lot of warmth and love - this was our last meeting this year for parents who lost their children through cancer.

One of the mothers held a master class for the manufacture of angels. Parents have created good guards for our ward palliative program. And during the master class, while the hands were busy with creativity, communicated and supported each other.

Another mother brought from Putivl as many as 350 toys for a box of courage. They were collected by the whole city so that babies in the hospitals after painful procedures received a small reward for their courage.

Some parents came with the children. And while adults interacted with psychologists, the kids were having fun at the pizza master class.

Each such meeting for parents is an opportunity not to stay alone in their grief. Feel support, talk with the same families, listen to the advice of psychologists.

We are currently planning the next meeting and opened the second group of psychological help for parents who lost children.

In December on the eve of the New Year holidays we congratulated 3 of our children under csre: a girl 3 years old with cancer of the nervous system (smt. Ivankovo, Kiev region), a girl 4 years old with lung cancer (Kiev) and a girl 10 years old with brain cancer (Kiev).

All children were looking forward to Santa Claus. The children were given gifts that they chose themselves, and someone with the help of their parents. The new year for them was fabulous thanks to the volunteers who came to visit them.

And for a girl 18  years old with brain cancer, (Zarechany village, Zhytomyr region), we prepared a meeting with a volunteer, who wrote letters for her for several months. In the letters volonteer shared her memories of the trip to India, since our girl under care loves to watch Indian films.

Tabletochki foundation supports palliative program because there are no state programs to take care about such families. We found it's very important to provide kids with incurable diagnosis with everything necessary for normal life.

Tabletochki spent $19000 in July-August 2018 for the support of palliative program.

We spent $3400 for different medication. Among the medication we purchased were Levizitam, Gabana, Grastim, Lastet, Dinastat, Carboplatin-Vista and many others.

For medical assistance - doctors and nurses we spent $4350 and $170 for special nutrition for our children under care.

We also provide our children under care with medical care and medical reabilitation. In July-September we spent $1140 for it.

Tabletochki foundation belives that psycological help is very important when working with palliative families. That is why we organize support groups for parents every two months. In July-September we spent $280 for such meetings. 

Every year Tabletochki organize Memory Day and gather families who lost their kids. We think it's very important not to leave our families under care after child death. This is the most taugh period for the families and we would like to support them, explaine how to outwear sorrow and move forward. This year we invited speakers, we planted roses in memory of kids we lost, we organized entertaiment for siblings. 

We try to make lifes of families with palliative kids as normal as it's possible and we provide them with necessary everyday things as syringes, shunts, wipes, dipers, linens etc. We spent $950 in July-September 2018.

Tabletochki also tries to satisfy individual requests of our palliative families under care such as special mattrasses or beds, clothes, toys etc. We believe that children with iccurable diagnoses should have possibility to live their lifes in good conditions and to have everything necessary to be just kids. In July-September we spent $6570 to support our children under care.

Tabletochki foundation administrative expenses to support palliative program in July-August 2018 were $2120. 

Here is a story of Aleksander (Sasha) who is 16 years old. Sasha is from small village Ivanovka, Chernigiv district. He has leukemia, 3rd backset and delay with psycological and speech development. Sasha is raised by a single mom with limited income. Sasha loves school and not to be bored in summer we purchaised badminton for him and organized participation in Robot creation kids club. We also supported Sasha with everything necessary for school. He was so happy to wear his new vyshivanka (Ukrainian traditional clothing) when he went to school in September.

Links:

• http://www.tabletochki.org