Resources for Kids Coping with Chronic Illness
For kids managing a chronic illness, they may feel constant pain or anxiety. Resources that can help support them include programs that provide:
Positive Distraction - Kids can relax when they are distracted from pain by something fun, like playing with toys or video games.
Emotional Comfort - Kids can feel at ease when they have items that remind them of something they love, like their favorite characters on a hospital gown.
Read how the Starlight Families and Starlight Toy Deliveries programs gave Erick positive distraction and comfort in his journey living with asthma.
Meet Erick
Living with a chronic illness can be a challenging and complex journey. For Erick, living with asthma can sometimes cause him to experience coughing spells.
Even though he carries an inhaler, he often feels anxious. Erick fears he could pass out, fall, hit his head, and start bleeding. His family helps him practice breathing exercises for anxiety to relax and practice safety measures such as mask-wearing and handwashing.
The Starlight Families program exists to support families like Erick’s throughout their healthcare journey. After Erick’s family signed up for the program, they received helpful resources that helped bridge the gap between Erick’s in-hospital and at-home care.
Through this program, Erick received Starlight Toy Deliveries including Legos, books, and video games which can act as relaxation techniques to help ease anxiety. Receiving these gifts made Erick feel special, and his happiness contributed significantly to his ability to cope during a challenging time.
As Erick continues to navigate the complexities of asthma, Starlight programs are with him at every step of his journey to help him find happiness, inner courage, and confidence.
This July is Chronic Illness Awareness Month. Join Starlight in providing essential resources and happiness to children facing serious conditions and illnesses.
Donate to Starlight today.
