Inspiration

My dear cousin Molly was diagnosed as a toddler with neuroblastoma

Underwent countless hospitalizations and treatments.

During stays, she would conduct tea parties, inviting the other patients, their family, nurses, and doctors.

Louisiana reporters nicknamed her “The Sunshine girl”

Attracted attention and inspired people

The first lady of Louisiana made appearances at her tea parties.

A frequent visitor was Poppy, a children’s folk Cajun musician, who would sing songs and be a source of entertainment for the party.

Tea Time

These tea parties cheerful events where a few hours

she could forget she had an illness and be a normal

kid

Background

I was hospitalized as a child, at the same hospital as Molly and was invited to one of her tea parities

I felt so welcomed and she instantly made me feel better.

Inspired me to write and illustrate a children's book

Work in process

The process

Dealing with illness as a child is a difficult issue

for both the parents and child themselves.

Upon reflection, this spurred me to think of how

other children react or cope with hospitalization.

Hospitalization

Hospitalization separates child from all that is

familiar

A hospitalized child emotional reaction to illness

may be determined or influenced by sources of

stress from within the child or the child’s

parents, along with the hospital environment.1

Reaction to Illness

Regression

Transient Hypochondriasis

Guilty

Anxiety

Stress

Depression

Coping Mechanism

Children use personality specific variety of

mechanism

Seem to be similar to healthy children way of

dealing with stress

Molly adapted and used tea parties as a coping

mechanism for her illness.

Please don’t take my

Sunshine

Molly, “The Sunshine girl” had wisdom beyond her

years and such a positive outlook on life. She used

tea parties as a good positive coping mechanism.

Through all her hardship, she never did she lose her

light, her cheerful spirit, or contiguous smile.

Unfortunately Molly passed away at 6 years old. Molly

is a true inspiration that impacted and inspires me to

this day. She “is my sunshine, my only sunshine”

Future

I hope to continue to write children’s books

I would love to host tea parities in the future for

children with illnesses and possibly read my

book to them.

Here’s to the future….

References

1. Blom, G. The Reactions of hospitalized

children to Illness. Pediatrics. Sept 1958

2. Irma, R. Stress, coping, and adjustment in

children with a chronic disease: a review of the

literature. Stability and Rehabilitation. Vol 21, Iss

7, 1999.