+
More

Chemo is hard, but it's harder when you're a kid. Here's how one hospital is boosting morale.

It all starts with finding a happy place.

True
Aflac

Battling cancer can be overwhelming, but it can be even harder for young kids with cancer.

But the children and teens at the Aflac Cancer Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta have a not-so-secret trick to get through the toughest moments: It's called guided imagery, and it's a technique used to help calm people in stressful times.

The staff often asks the kids to imagine their "happy places" as a way to give them a morale boost and a pleasant distraction when they get scared during their cancer treatments or don't understand what's happening to them and why.


September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the staff at CHOA's Aflac Cancer Center wanted to do something special for their patients.

So they brought in an animator to help bring their young patients' happy places to life.

All photos from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

These kids are going through an unimaginably difficult time in their lives, but when they need to get away, these are the places they dream of escaping to:

1. Lauren's land of sparkles helps the 11-year-old through her recovery.

Lauren spent years of her young life fighting off a brain tumor. During her treatments, Lauren would go to her happy place, where "everything is sparkly."

BEFORE:

It's a land of pink, purple, and blue, covered in flowers. There are puppies, fairies, unicorns with soft horns (so they don't hurt the puppies, obviously), strawberries, Barbies, and best of all, her therapy dog, Hope.

AFTER:

2. 11-year-old Mya escapes to the sunny beaches of Rio.

Mya was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, earlier this year. She underwent chemotherapy, but eventually lost the lower part of her left leg when it was amputated. She fights on with the help of her happy place.

BEFORE:

Mya's happy place is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In her happy place, she doesn't need crutches or her wheelchair. Instead, she's free to enjoy the sun and feel the ocean's salty breeze. Surrounded by soccer and multi-colored toucans, Mya's happiness is a beach-themed paradise.

AFTER:

3. 13-year-old Hunter's land of magic is a welcome break from his everyday stress.

Diagnosed with brain cancer last year, Hunter's gone through much more than most other boys his age. He's endured rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries, and radiation; but he's still here, being as brave as can be. His happy place is like nothing you'd see anywhere on earth.

BEFORE:

There's a walrus (who also happens to be a wizard), there are flying pandas, and flying dolphins to ride. The pandas float as high as clouds, and the people of the land live in perfect happiness. It's a carefree land where he doesn't need to feel afraid. It's his happy place, and it's wonderful.

AFTER:

4. Justice's Italian castle keeps the 16-year-old in the game.

In 2013, Justice was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It wasn't fair, and she knew it. Knowing that makes her afraid and angry, but her happy place brings some joy back into her life.

BEFORE:

Her happy place is a picnic located outside an Italian castle. There's a crisp smell of autumn in the air, and the sun shines down on her. Her basket is filled with pastas, cheeses, breads, and pastries. She's surrounded by tall, beautiful trees with colorful leaves; animals scurry around her, hoping for some dropped crumbs or a loose roll of bread. She doesn't need to feel afraid; she doesn't need to feel angry.

AFTER:

Seeing their happy places brought to life was met with exactly the reaction CHOA hoped: joy.

Just look how happy Justice was to see her happy place brought to life:

<3

There are few things as powerful as the imagination of a child. And to see that energy put to use by bringing these young patients happiness in the midst of such hardship is truly heartwarming.

You can check out interviews with the kids and CHOA staff at this great video they put together below:

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep Reading Show less
via Google and Freepik

Google's new personal information removal submission page.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

Keep Reading Show less
via Pexels

A woman sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat

Everyone wants to know how long they will live and there are many indicators that can show whether someone is thriving or on the decline. But people have yet to develop a magic formula to determine exactly how long someone should expect to live.

However, a doctor recently featured on the "Today" show says a straightforward test can reveal the likelihood that someone aged 51 to 80 will die in the near future.

NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar was on the "Today" show on March 8 and demonstrated how to perform the simple “sit to stand test” (aka sit-rising test or SRT) that can help determine the longevity of someone between 51 to 80.

Keep Reading Show less
Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

Keep Reading Show less

Becca Moore and Raul Torres having margaritas.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who's known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

Keep Reading Show less
Joy

44 years ago he became her protector after a terrible act. Today, they've been reunited in love.

Betsy and Irv are finally getting the happy ending they deserve. Together.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.

There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.

Keep Reading Show less