Family Involvement
Margaret "Peggy" Togal of Auburn Hills
was doing just that on a recent visit to
Karmanos. Togal was diagnosed with
Stage IV colon cancer nine years ago. She
regularly attends Karmanos' Women's
Support Group and brings her grand-
daughters, Lexi Bailey, 8, and Macey
Zielinski, 7, to engage in art therapy.
"I love doing crafts with my grandchil-
dren," she said. "I also love just getting to
spend time with them:'
Togal said it's important to her to
make those memories with her grand-
children now since she has exhausted her
treatment options and is in hospice care.
"I think art therapy has relieved
my stress," she said. "The artwork is
something my grandchildren love to
do, and it helps them to be able to talk
about things that bother them and work
through problems that they have:'
Lexi and Macey were joined by
Macey's 4-year-old brother, Nolan, at a
recent art therapy session. The girls were
working on "worry boxes" while Nolan
painted a picture with colorful paints.
"I enjoy the art because it's fun and
you can say stuff you wouldn't normally
say:' said Lexi. "I love all the art. You
get to create things. I like to see all the
pretty colors:'
Macey said that she was
able to make a book about
her grandmother during one
of the sessions.
"I like the painting and
doing some oil pastels and
crayons:' she said. "It's really
fun:'
Macey and Lexi said that
in addition to doing art,
they are able to discuss what
their grandmother's cancer
diagnosis means to them.
They added that though
they find cancer "scary:'
they know it's not something
contagious.
"It feels good to hear my
grandma talk about cancer
because we can know about
her," Lexi said.
Cancer patient Peggy Togal, left, and Heather Ziegenmeyer work with Peggy's grandchildren on
an art project to help children work through their emotions through art.
Easing Trauma
Robert Littman believes that his late wife
would be delighted with the Friends Like
Me program.
"Here is a program for the child emo-
tionally affected by cancer, where the
primary focus often shifts to the patient,
and the child may not have sufficient
Me program at Karmanos, call Kathleen
Hardy at (248) 538-4712. To provide a
gift to the Shelley Littman Endowment
Fund for Children, which supports
Friends Like Me, visit www.karmanos.
org/ShelleyLittman .
support and understanding:' Littman
said.
"The emotional trauma to the child
can be really devastating. With this pro-
gram, you're helping both the children
whose parent or grandparent has cancer,
and you're also helping the patient by
alleviating some of the concern over the
reactions of their loved ones:'
For information about the Friends Like
❑
Elizabeth A. Katz is the external marketing &
communications manager at the Barbara Ann
Karmanos Cancer Institute.
Expecting
Someone?
Expect the Best
AAGL
CENTER
Nationally
Recognized
Expertise
of
DMC Huron Valley-Sinai and Hutzel Women's Hospitals are recognized as Centers of Excellence in minimally invasive
gynecology by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL). Only a handful of hospitals nationwide
are certified as a Center of Excellence in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.
When you're expecting, you can expect the best from the Merle & Shirley
Harris Women's Center at DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital.
To schedule a tour of the Merle and Shirley Harris Women's Center at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital,
call (248) 937-5220. To schedule an appointment with one of our physicians, call (888) DMC-2500
DMC Your Destination for Women's Care
•
EXCELLENCE
in Minimally Invasive
Gynecology
n
"44 aEVIEW 0:0-
DMC
Huron Valley-Sinai
Hospital
always there.
1 William Carls Drive
Commerce, Michigan 48382
hvsh.org
March 27 • 2014
51