A Therapy Toy for every child with cancer

Kelsey's Dream raised funds to provide a Therapy Toy for children diagnosed with cancer, across the United States, for 2010 and 2011. We sponsored and added one state at a time. We have raised funds to provide a Therapy Toy for children diagnosed with cancer across the U.S. for 2010/2011 in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Virginia, Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, Maryland, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, North Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Kentucky, South Dakota, Alabama, Illinois, Arizona, California, Louisana, DC, Florida and Hawaii.  In November and December of 2011, toys shipped to most of these locations, therefore providing children diagnosed with cancer in 2012, a toy.

A Therapy Toy is a 12" soft play therapy tool, designed to be soothing and visually appealing, while mirroring the child's body during chemotherapy, without being fear-provoking.  This cute companion is dressed in hospital pajamas and a bandanna. Therapy Toys are available with a a port or hickman and furnished with an arm immobilizer. Port and Hickman are the two different types of catheters used to carry chemotherapy into the body. Accompanied by a bilingual, educational book to explain how best to use the Therapy Toy and also comes with a mini DVD with educational materials for parents. 

The Therapy Toy is used to educate children about their treatment in an age appropriate manner.  The toy is usually introduced to families by trained child life staff in hospitals, thus ensuring that families are aware of how best to use the Therapy Toy.

Play therapy is the most instinctive mode of expression for children and promotes comfortable communication between families. A Therapy Toy naturally promotes play therapy in children while allowing parents to effortlessly demonstrate purposeful modeling for their children.  Parents are now able to shift into the indispensable position of primary educator in their child's healthcare team. The Therapy Toy approach to "Whole Family" anxiety reduction is innovative as it achieves these distinct objectives. 

• As an educational tool to be used by the hospital staff to teach and prepare children for treatment through education, role-play and rehearsal.
• As a companion, to share the child's journey through treatment and provide a learning tool with which children can discover about cancer treatment in a fun, developmentally appropriate manner.
• As a way to reach out into the community and educate peers and siblings about cancer in an age appropriate manner. 

Our goal was to cover as many states as possible, with Therapy Toys  

Accomplishments: 

Colorado
Rocky Mountain Children's Health Foundation - Denver

Connecticut
Connecticut Children's Medical Center - Hartford - In Memory of Derrick Dull & Adopted by Mike & Jamie Noll Family

Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital 
 Adopted by Jennifer Rowe & St. John's United Church of Christ Lewisburg 

Delaware
Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital - Wilmington -Adopted by Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation

District of Columbia
Children's National Medical Center 

Georgetown University Hospital

Walter Reed Army Medical Center
 Adopted by Corinne Thomas - In Memory of Kelsey Kuhns

Florida
Holtz Children's Hospital (University of Miami) - Sponsored by the Green Castle Middle School

Nemours Children's Clinic - Orlando

Baptist Children's Hospital - Miami

St.  Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa

Nemours Children's Clinic - Pensacola

Chris Evert Children's Hospital - Fort Lauderdale

Georgia
Backus Children's Hospital at MHUMC -Savannah - Adopted by C.W. Longer Elementary School - In Memory of Derrick Dull

Children's Medical Center - Augusta - Adopted by Cherie Chism - In Honor of Carla Shreck

Hawaii
Tripler Army Medical Center - Honolulu - Sponsored by Kylie Kuhns - Barnum Award Grant

Idaho
St Luke's Children's - Boise

Illinois
Children's Memorial Hospital - Chicago

University of Illinois Medical Center - Chicago

St. Jude Midwest Affiliate at Children's Hospital of Illinois - Peoria

SIU School of Medicine - Springfield

Kentucky
Kosair Children's Hospital - Louisville

Kentucky Children's Hospital - Lexington

Louisiana
Children's Hospital of New Orleans

Tulane Hospital for Children - New Orleans

Ochsher Hospital - New Orleans

Maine
Eastern Maine Medical Center - Bangor - Adopted by Nicole Waltman, Family & Friends

Barbara Bush Children's Hospital - Portland - Adopted by Central PA Vintage Iron Club

Maryland
Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai - Baltimore -  Adopted by Allie Brininger, Cassie Hourlland, Felicia Baker, Halley Watson, Korynn Wagner & Morgan Reish

University of Maryland Hospital for Children - Baltimore - Adopted by Mifflinburg Area School District Staff 2009, in Memory of Kelsey Kuhns

Johns Hopkins Hospital - Baltimore
Adopted by Allie Brininger, Cassie Hourlland, Felicia Baker, Halley Watson, Korynn Wagner & Morgan Reish

Massachusetts
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute- Boston &

MASS General Hospital for Children - Boston - In Memory of Jan Edwards

Michigan
Bronson Children's Hospital - Kalamazoo

Hurley Medical Center - Flint

Beaumont Children's Hospital - Royal Oak

Children's Hospital of Michigan - Detroit

C.S. Mott Children's Hospital - Ann Arbor

Mississippi
Blair E. Batson Hosptial for Children - Jackson

Missouri
Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation - St. Louis

Nebraska
Children's Hosptial & Medical Center - Omaha

Nevada
Children's Specialty Center of Nevada - Las Vegas

 New Hampshire
Children's Hospital at Dartmouth - Lebanon - In Memory of Nancy Holthus

New Jersey
Goryeb Children's Hospital - Morristown - Adopted by Brandon Walls, Cassie Hourlland, Eric Baum, Sean Leitzel & Taylor Young

Saint Peter's University Hospital - New Brunswick - Adopted by Sarah Alexander & Briana Krawec

St. Joseph's Children's Hospital - Paterson - Adopted by Sara & Emily Stauffer

Tomorrows Children's Institute - Hackensack -In Memory of Derrick Dull & Hudson Rinker

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center - Newark
adopted by 
Corinne & Cassidy Thomas, Milton Key Club, Kaleigh Miles, AFSCME Retiree Chapter 13, Marcia Irvin, Shelby Trewitz, Katie Alexander,
First Lutheran Church, Mifflinburg, Warrior Run Key Club

New York 
Stony Brook Medical Center - Stony Brook
 
Children's Hospital of Montifiore - Bronx -Sponsored in memory of Lance Vadella and Bryan Zimmerman

Brooklyn Hospital Center - Sponsored by the Mifflinburg National Junior Honor Society

Hassenfeld Children's Center - NY

Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai Medical Center - NYC - Sponsored by the Mifflinburg Field Hockey Team

Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center - NYC

North Carolina

 
Children's Hospital of Eastern North Carolina - Sponsored by the Wachovia Bank of Charlotte

Ohio
The Children's Medical Center of Dayton - Dayton

Mercy Children's Hospital - Toledo

Oklahoma
The Children's Hospital at Saint Francis - Tulsa

Children's Hospital of OU Medical Center - Oklahoma City

South Dakota
Sanford Children's Hospital - Sioux Falls

Texas
Medical City Children's Hospital - Dallas

Driscoll Children's Hospital - Corpus Christi

Utah
Primary Children's Medical Center - Salt Lake City

                                                                                     Vermont
Vermont Children's Hospital - Burlington - Adopted by C.W. Longer Elementary School - In Honor of Carla Shreck

Virginia
Navy Medical Center - Portsmouth - Adopted by Mifflinburg Area School District Students, "2009 Hats on for Kids with Cancer", in Memory of Kelsey Kuhns

Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children - Falls Church
 
University of Virginia - Charlottesville 
Inova, UV- Adopted by:
Mt. Pleasant Mills Bible School, Beaver Luthern Church VBS - Beaver Springs, Brennan's Big Chill, Sound of Gospel Church VBS - Selinsgrove, New Berlin VBS, St. Peters Evangelical Church of Freeburg, Mazeppa Union Church, Emmanuel United Church of Christ Penns Creek, Sholley Agency - Lewisburg, St. John's UCC - New Columbia, Mifflinburg Lumber & Supply

Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems - Richmond -In Memory of Derrick Dull

Madigan Army Medical Center - Tacoma

Sacred Heart Children's Hospital - Spokane

Mary Bridge Children's Foundation - Tacoma