A La Grange, Ill., teen who’s fighting leukemia is striving to make points much better for herself and various other young people facing illness, treatment and hospital stays.
Katie Palermo, 17, a student at Lyons Township Higher School, went through a relapse of leukemia two years ago and is continuing chemotherapy treatments at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She was initial diagnosed as quickly as she was 12.
Palermo was recruited to take portion in the hospital’s Youngsters Advisory Board, which allows Kids being treated at the hospital to offer input on exactly how the hospital operates and meets their needs.
The board has actually 10 members between the ages of 11 and 17 who’ve had substantial experiences along with the hospital.
She likewise was picked to travel to Barcelona in June, where she will certainly attend a conference organized by the Global Children’s Advisory Network, a international consortium of children’s advisory teams functioning with each other to offer a voice for Kids and families in health, medicine and research.
The consortium “is attempting to grab Youngsters much more involved in giving pointers to people carrying out research studies,” said Lisa Mulvaney, coordinator of the hospital’s creative arts program.
At Lurie, Mulvaney said the Youngsters advisory board is gained up of patients from diverse background and from various medical services. Members are picked as a result of their openness and ability to believe beyond their own experiences to assistance make the hospital better.
Mulvaney said Palermo represents the oncology department and was an optimal member for the board.
“She’s pretty open concerning her experiences and just what she’s been through,” Mulvaney said. “She desires to make points much better for various other Youngsters that come to the hospital.”
While she’s been dealt a strong blow, Mulvaney said Palermo likewise has actually located means to cope.
“She has actually a actually wonderful sense of humor. I believe she uses that to grab through things,” Mulvaney said.
The Youngsters advisory board provides recommendations and input to any sort of variety of the hospital’s solutions from the food, to just what patients wear, to exactly how the hospital is designed. The board, for instance, gave pointers for the brand-new hospital which opened in 2012 in Chicago.
“They had a durable recommendation for a spot that felt love the outdoors. That led to our sky garden,” Mulvaney said.
The hospital likewise incorporated a sink for washing one’s hair in its Family Life Focus since Mulvaney said the Youngsters knew as quickly as you can’t wash your hair for days “you begin to feel inhuman.”
Palermo said providing input has actually gained her feel much more love she has actually a voice.
“Being portion of that is cool,” she said. “I feel much more involved in the hospital. I can easily see points evolve and adjustment on my own floor and say ‘I was portion of that decision.’ ”
The hospital likewise has actually an outpatient Focus in Westchester that is among 11 outpatient centers across the Chicago area.
Palermo’s involvement in the iCan conference makes sense particularly because she likewise has actually advocated concerning problems that affect young cancer patients, such as keeping the fertility of Kids undergoing treatment. She is having tissue from her left ovary stored in chance that she might someday have actually children.
“I hope to delivering focus to that (fertility preservation) and funding,” Palermo said. “They have actually the science. Hopefully by the moment I hope to have actually Youngsters they will certainly have actually the technology.”
Palermo is looking forward to the iCan conference for the connections she hopes to make, and the pointers she hopes it will certainly stir.
“I’m actually excited to go and fulfill along with patients from about the globe and talk concerning just what functions at their hospitals,” she said.
