Beauty at the bedside
Being confined to a hospital for treatment is difficult, especially for a child. But when the hospital stay lasts more than 200 days, it can become unbearable at times. For 14-year-old Anna Doran, however, her hospital stay has developed into the opposite and has instead served as a catalyst to create more than 50 beautiful works of art.
Anna, who has acute lymphoid leukemia, has been a patient at 网红黑料 Shands Children鈥檚 Hospital for nearly seven months. And she鈥檚 made exceptional use of her time, channeling her positive energy and sharing her talents with those around her.
鈥淢y favorite art media is paint,鈥� Anna said. 鈥淢ainly, because you can mix the colors and it turns into something beautiful. Making art takes my mind off of the bad things I have going on.鈥�
Anna painted each masterpiece from her hospital room. 鈥淧eople are usually surprised when they see my artwork in the hospital room and find out that I painted it,鈥� Anna said. 鈥淚t makes me happy when they like it.鈥�
, M.S., ATR-BC, a board-certified art therapist who works in the department of pediatrics with children and teenagers who are chronically ill, has helped Anna find an outlet through her paintings.
鈥淚 counsel through art-making,鈥� Bucciarelli said. 鈥淚nstead of talking about thoughts and feelings, we create art as a way for patients to express themselves, cope with the difficult things they experience and help them make meaning out of the time they spend in the hospital.鈥�
hosted a showcase gallery of Anna鈥檚 paintings in the Marshall M. and Paula P. Criser Jr. Cancer Resource Center at the in December.
Anna hopes to continue to inspire others with her paintings, and encourages people to 鈥渂e creative, spontaneous and passionate.鈥�
鈥淣ever say never!鈥� she said.