Cut, assemble, sew to forget about treatments, this is what the Institute of Hematology and Pediatric Oncology of Lyon offers. Every week, the young patients of the health establishment can take part in sewing workshops.
For sick children, this sewing workshop puts the long hours spent in the hospital at a distance. By creating clothes, they almost manage to forget the treatments and the disease. Manual activity becomes an escape. “It changes my mind, it makes me happy, when I’m in my room, I know I’m sick, whereas there it makes me think of something else and it makes me feel good”, says 12-year-old Faustine.
A moment of lightness to better support the hospitalization. “The fact of doing group workshops allows them to meet, it has psychological issues that make sense and that allow better acceptance of treatments”notes Dr. Perrine Berard-Marecn, pediatrician IHOP Lyon.
These sewing workshops have existed for 14 years within the Institute of Hematology and Oncology. Throughout the creation, two stylists accompany young cancer patients. They help them draw patterns, sew unique clothes, sometimes even arousing real passions. “It allows them to learn a new activity, in past seasons we even had vocations, there are young girls who entered fashion design school when they left the hospital”, rejoices stylist Christine Fouché.
After 18 months of preparation, more than a hundred children took part in the project, culminating in the presentation of all their creations. The next fashion show is scheduled for November 25, 2022 under the watchful eye of their family and loved ones.