Superheroes do not necessarily wear capes. Adventures can be had even without going to far-away places. Lending a hand to someone in need can be a journey in itself. Kythe Foundation’s online video titled Oras Na tells the story of Mak-Mak, a cancer patient who waits for “the time,” and Kuya Obet, a volunteer who regularly visits him at the hospital. In the eyes of a child battling a disease, a volunteer who sets aside time to play with him makes a huge difference.
The online video is part of Kythe’s Make Room Campaign, which aims to get more volunteers, build more rooms in hospitals that offer the Child Life Program, and have medical professionals as advocates.
Spending time with patients of illnesses such as cancer and various heart, kidney, and blood disorders provides a psycho-social support that aids in alleviating anxiety when they receive treatment, proven to help them respond better to it. This is referred to as The Child Life Program, and Kythe is the only non-profit organization in the country that offers it.
“The program was designed to uplift the spirits of the children by providing moral and emotional support,” said Fatima Garcia-Lorenzo, co-founder and Executive Director of Kythe. “To the kids, the hospital isn’t just a place to heal, but also to play, learn, love, and grow.”
In addition to this, Kythe guides families by informing them about basic access to medicine and treatment, and providing counseling and bereavement support.
Through the foundation’s expertise in Child Life Science and collaboration with partner hospitals as well as medical professionals, donors, and volunteers, they have been able to serve 11,000 pediatric patients a year since 1992. Interested volunteers can send an email to [email protected] or sign up on the website, kythe.org.