ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603210030
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
VOLUNTEERS SHARE their pets with ill youngsters in a program encouraged by an occupational therapist who's researched the effect of animals on patients.
Nine-year-old Jessica Brizendine sat quietly while she caressed the fringed ears of Annie, the 10-pound papillon. But when Boogie Bear and Goliath came into her hospital room, she gushed ``Oh, good Lord!''
The 130-pound Newfoundlands - and little Annie - were among the seven Pet Pals who made their first official visit Wednesday to the Children's Hospital wing at Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley.
The pets were a welcome distraction, said Jessica and her mother, Judy Brizendine.
Jessica is a year into 18 months of treatment for Ewing's sarcoma, a bone cancer that attacked her spine. The chemotherapy and radiation treatments beating away at her disease also make her immune system fragile, and she has been hospitalized since Monday with a fever. Her doctors are running tests to determine whether she has an infection.
The Pet Pals program is for patients, like Jessica, whose lives have gone topsy-turvy because of illness, said Joan Allan, an occupational therapist who pushed for the pet project.
During her studies at East Carolina University, Allan researched the effects pets have on people. Once she even distributed gerbils to an audience before she gave a talk and found that it relaxed her and her listeners.
Since Children's Hospital opened in January 1995, the staff and parents of patients have looked for ways to make the hospital experience less traumatic. Allan represents the occupational therapy department on a committee of parents and staff and proposed the Pet Pals idea to that group.
For now, the pets will provide wet kisses and an opportunity for a hurting child to touch a dog and see a tail wag. But the program has the potential of making the animals more active partners in helping the young patients progress, Allan said.
Raising an arm to pet a dog standing on a table or playing tug of war can be effective physical therapy, she said.
Allan started the program with the help of veterinarian Bridget Quatmann. Another veterinarian, Lauren Keating, volunteers in it with her poodle, Emma. The dogs have Therapy Dog International certification, which means they have the training and traits to be around the youngsters.
Also, the animals will always be on a leash during the visits, Allan said. And they are bathed, have their teeth brushed and nails clipped before a visit.
She would like to get more volunteer pet-owner teams.
Children's Hospital also recently got money from Allstate Insurance to set up a library of lay medical books and other literature so that parents and children can look up information about an illness or find ways to deal with it.
It's important that the young people come away from their illnesses psychologically and emotionally intact, said Dr. Ron Neuberg, who came to Community Hospital nearly two years ago to set up a program in childhood cancer and blood disorders.
``As cancer becomes more curable,'' he said, ``we have to look more at the long-term effects of it. An employer won't care if you had leukemia at age 3 or 4.''
Very young patients often forget their days of treatment, but the older children, especially teens, really struggle with many issues when they are ill, Neuberg said.
The hospital now is treating 35 young cancer patients, some from out of state.
Anyone interested in participating in the pet program can contact Joan Allan at 985-8000.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. Jessica Brizendine said getting aby CNBvisit from Annie, a papillon, and other dogs in the Pet Pals program
Wednesday offers welcome relief during her stay at the Children's
Hospital wing of Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley. color.