“It makes me happy and I forget a bit”

The new “sport and health” pavilion at the Femme Mère Enfant hospital (Hospices Civils de Lyon) opened on Wednesday, October 20. Located in the middle of the hospital, this colorful 100 m2 room is filled with games. During the first activity session, the children were able to slalom between blocks, pass under bars before throwing their ball on a target under the encouragement of the educator. “It’s tight! Come on Azra, come on Azra!”, she advises a 10-year-old patient in a wheelchair.

“I like to have fun, to play sports, to prove that we can play sports even if we are in difficulty. It can be very useful”,

Azra, 10 years old

to franceinfo

Her playing partner, Saoussen, had surgery for highly developed scoliosis. She makes a series of visits to the hospital for kidney and lung problems. “I like to dance. I am very dancer and very creative. It makes me happy and I forget a bit, Explain the little girl. VSit’s just the pains that keep me down. ”

Léa Cuisinier coordinates the sessions. The educator is tailor-made for these children who suffer from chronic illnesses. “There is the fear of ‘I’m in a wheelchair so I can’t practice.’ Well no! In fact, we table tennis for example, we are going to transform it into table tennis so that the movement is adapted to their abilities and they can participate. ”

According to the head of the pediatric rehabilitation service of the Femme Mère Enfant hospital in Lyon, Carole Vuillerot, these sports sessions only have advantages. “The first effect is like with everyone, it’s being with others and having fun, having fun”, emphasizes the doctor. “But it also has a therapeutic effect, she continues. Since in many pathologies, such as cerebral palsy, which is the leading cause of motor disability in children, or neuromuscular diseases, children’s functions are improved, that is to say their muscular strength and their capacity. of displacement.”

The hospital will soon offer children a climbing wall. In the meantime, they can already enjoy, and this does not exist anywhere else, a mini-golf course where they can come and play with their families to forget the illness for a game.