For many patients and their families, coping with a new illness can be challenging, and often times, can produce anxiety and fear. Since 1997 the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, has helped numerous patients cope with their illness through various art opportunities.
“Access to the arts is essential to our every day well-being, especially in the most challenging of times,” said Carol Herron, coordinator for the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program. “It gives our patients affected by cancer and blood disorders the opportunity for self-expression, empowerment and healing through the arts.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the program’s community Art Partners frequently visited the Cancer and Hematology Clinic to engage patients and their siblings in fun and educational arts activities. Since the art partners are unable to come into the clinic due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program launched a creative and interactive way to virtually connect with patients and their families.
Creativity Connected is a weekly interactive virtual arts newsletter that the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine program rolled out in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The newsletter goes out weekly to a database of more than 1,300 Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers’ patients and their siblings.
The publication provides a collection of enjoyable arts activities for children including video clips on how to build a spaghetti hedgehog or how to make musical instruments using common household materials. Creativity Connected also features a selection of artwork from Making A Mark®, an exhibition of art and creative writing from children touched by cancer and blood disorders at our Cancer and Hematology Centers.
One of the long-time Art Partners that is part of the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program is Purple Songs Can Fly, which has provided hundreds of patients and siblings a musical outlet to share their incredible stories and songs of hope which are produced in an in-house studio at Texas Children’s Cancer Center.
Below is a note from a child who wrote a song virtually with Purple Songs Can Fly founder and executive director Anita Kruse, and then had that song shared in the Creativity Connected newsletter.
“I feel happy to make songs with Anita. She is so kind. My sister and I enjoy making and singing songs. I like the way she plays the piano. When I grow up I would love to play piano like her.”
In addition to Purple Songs Can Fly, several other Art Partners that have contributed to bringing art therapy to our cancer and hematology patients include Writers in The Schools, Houston Center for Photography, Young Audiences of Houston, the Houston Symphony, The Woodlands Children’s Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra and DaCamera.
Texas Children’s partners with The Periwinkle Foundation, an organization that develops and provides programs that positively change the lives of children, young adults and families who are challenged by cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and are cared for at Texas Children’s Hospital.
