Therapy For Chronically Ill Children

Hello, I’m Ona Brown.I’m a freshmen at Science Leadership Academy.In my English 1 Class we were asked to chose a topic that we were concerned about and write about it .The topic I chose was therapy for chronically ill children. After my research I found that music and smiling are very therapeutic. I know I can’t cure the illnesses they have, but lifting their spirits and getting their minds off of their situations can help.

Smiling is a form of therapy.It takes more muscles to frown than to smile.When you smile your brain excites the left anterior of it then triggers two muscles in your face to rouse.The zygomatic major which is in your cheek tug your lips upward and the orbicularis oculi which encircle the eye socket squeezes the corners of your lips.When you smile a chemical called edorphins is released into your brain, that makes you happy. I’m interested in this topic, because I love to make people laugh and smile.Especially those that are going through such life altering things. To be able to help them take their mind off of their problems makes me feel wonderful. I think is amazing that people can go through the most horrible things, but still manage to be happy and thankful for everything at the end of the day.It inspires me to go on and endure any problem I’m faced with.

(This is a sick cancer patient that is playing the drum as a form of Music therapy.)

This issue is so important, because children are going through these life threatening illnesses and some of them need hope to stay strong. Musical activities and reading are therapeutic.Music helps your memory and it changes your mood, which would really help the patients.The connection between the human brain and music is very strong.When you listen to music our ears convert the sound waves into “ear movement” by moving certain parts of your ear the movement is turned into electrical signals that go through the eighth cranial nerve then  into the brain.They travel all over the brain this affects your emotion.

(Here is a picture of the inside of our brain and how music has an affect on it.)

A great deal of patients use music to find peace. Even though their physical bodies are not able to do certain things their minds are still able to soar.Their physical limitations do not limit their imagination and their minds. Playing musical instruments help enhance your hand and eye coordination. All these activities are helpful to the patient in its own way.

Zach Sobiech was a 18 year old teen. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma an unusual bone cancer. He used music as an outlet. He found peace with his guitar.He enjoyed writing songs.Music kept him strong through the all the treatments.He wrote and performed songs.It gave him a sense of courage and hope.He never gave up and still kept a smile on his face. Zach said, “I wanted to be remembered as a kid that went down fighting, and really didn't lose”. We should all have the same attitude as Zach in life.

Music and being happy can have a great impact on chronically ill patients. They are forms of therapy and help the brain while actually helping pass  time in the hospital.They encourage and give hope when you think its all gone. Chronically ill patients will always inspire me. From here I would like to look into organizations that go to hospitals and perform for the patients and entertain them. I would really enjoy making some of the children smile.

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