AppleTree gram director of KKC. "Our long-term goal is to open programs in 25 major pediatric oncology centers in the U.S. within the next five years." Among the other new developments at KKC since AppleTree first wrote about the organization last February: • KKC has opened additional pro- grams at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac, St. John Hospital in Grosse Pointe, and Harper/Karmanos in Detroit. This brings to five the total number of hospital-affiliated pro- grams. • A recent donation of 15-passenger vans from the Sinai Guild and the Variety Club has enabled KKC to expand transportation services for these programs. • KKC soon will have offices in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, in addition to the New York opening. • KKC's Rabbi Goldberg was appointed a clinical assistant profes- sor in the Department of Pediatrics at Wayne State Medical School. He aids in teaching medical students, physi- cians, nurses, child-life specialists, social workers, and other medical staff about the techniques developed at KKC. "We have also begun to offer semi- nars for both parents and hospital staff to train them in these tech- niques," Dr. Gardin added. • KKC has increased both the num- ber and type of participants in its programs. "In addition to our pediatric oncol- ogy patients and their siblings, we now service a sizable population of children with other blood-related dis- eases, including an increasingly large group of sickle-cell anemia patients," Dr. Gardin said. "We are actively working with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America to develop a new division of KKC: Kids Kicking Sickle Cell. "Our programs also are beginning to include a number of childhood cancer survivors who, having survived cancer as young children, are now experiencing delayed post-traumatic stress symptoms during adolescence." • KKC's martial arts staff can be found every day in local clinics and hospitals, where they help children during spinal taps, bone-marrow aspi- rations and other difficult medical procedures. "The presence of our staff not only substantially reduces the children's pain and anxiety, but usually reduces the number of medical staff required to perform the procedure," Dr. Gardin said. The Big Story • As part of the expansion, the organization has increased its staff. "KKC now includes a full-time graphic artist/office manager, one full-time martial artist, four part-time martial artists and one class assis- tant," Dr. Gardin said. • KKC recently added to its agenda a "non-hospice" hospice program. Dr. Gardin explained that, in most cases, parents can only receive reimburse- ment for hospice services for their children if they forego reimbursement for curative treatments. "This means a parent must relin- quish all hope of recovery," Dr. Gardin said. "In keeping with our theme of the strength of each child's `inner light' (his or her spirit/soul) and the eternity of this aspect of each human being, we offer pain palliation and psychosocial assistance to our families during the difficult transition period when children are no longer responding to curative medical treat- ments. "We do not require parents to give up all hope to receive these services." At the same time, she added, when a child has reached the end of his/her life and can no longer fight the dis- ease, yet remains spiritually and emo- tionally strong, KKC has an in-hos- pice or in-home ceremony for award- ing boys and girls a black belt. "In our eyes, this child is truly a hero who has learned to face adversity with the strength of his own inner spirit," Dr. Gardin said. • KKC has become active in the political arena, advocating funding and reimbursement for pediatric pain management. Recently, U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, invited members of the organization to a Congressional briefing on pediatric pain and palliative care. Further, Dr. Gardin said that U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, "has taken a special interest in our program and has served as a strong advocate on the Hill for getting the word out about the success of KKC in Michigan." KKC holds classes at local hospi- tals, and classes and individual ses- sions at its Birmingham office. ❑ For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, con- tact Kids Kicking Cancer, 390 Park Street, Suite 101, Birmingham, MI. 48009. Phone: (248) 203-9991. 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