Joanne Clements, Ward Manager on Rainbow Ward at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales with patient Kindry Bishop
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales is the first hospital in Wales to launch the Beads of Courage Programme, which helps children and young adults cope with their journey through a serious illness.
The launch event recently took place on Rainbow Ward, where patients, families and guests had a party to celebrate this new initiative.
The Beads of Courage programme is designed to provide additional treatment through support for children and young adults suffering a serious illness and associated treatments.
The initial reaction to the Beads is “they aren’t that pretty” but it’s not until you see them in action and talk to the patients and the families involved that you see the impact they have.
The scheme, which is popular in America, aims to help children and young people come to terms with their illnesses. When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, they are given a length of string with beads on it that spells out their name. Each time they undergo a procedure such as an operation, injection, X-ray, or bout of chemotherapy, they receive a glass bead to add to their colourful chain.
The scheme in Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales is generously funded by the Isabelle Lottie Foundation.
Rebecca Wynne, Trustee and Founder of The Isabelle Lottie Foundation said: “As parents of a child who had a brain tumour we have first-hand experience of how the Beads of Courage programme has a positive effect on children and their families.
“We are in a privileged position that we can support this programme in the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales through the Isabelle Lottie Foundation. We will continue to ensure sick children can benefit from such a fantastic scheme and we are honoured to be involved.”
Louise Brokof, Play Specialist in the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales said: “I am so excited to be part of the process of bringing ‘Beads of Courage’ to Rainbow Ward.
“Our patients go through so much throughout their treatment, the programme is not only fun but more importantly gives the child positive recognition of what they have achieved. The Beads are a beautiful way of representing the journey every child is on.”
