Long hospital stays can weigh heavy on young patients, so specialists at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and Stollery Children’s Hospital work with kids to find a release valve for the pressures that can build.

Madison Robinson of Chestermere, AB found hers in Art and Music Therapy, programs made available to families through the Child Life program, which you support when you register and fundraise through Life Cycle.

A creative and active girl at heart, an e-bike mishap in 2021 turned her life upside down. The family was referred to the Alberta Children’s Hospital where specialists laid out a plan that would see young Madison undergo several surgeries to repair the damage. It would mean almost a month in hospital – which is a lot for anyone, especially an 11-year-old girl.

Madison was able to keep herself busy with toys, books and crafts, and weekly Art Therapy sessions, which allowed her to interact with other kids throughout the hospital via Zoom. “They would come to my room with supplies before the sessions, and then we would all get together and build crafts,” says Madison. “I really looked forward to these sessions, being able to see people outside my room and talk to someone other than my parents,” she says. She made watercolour paintings for her sisters, parents and grandfather, and a dreamcatcher that still hangs in her bedroom.

Art Therapy is designed to support physical, mental and emotional healing while providing a fun distraction and social interaction during a hospital stay. It’s just one of the many therapeutic arts offered at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, which you support when you register and fundraise through Life Cycle.