Helping Children Cope with Cancer

Guest Bio: Lu Sipos

Lu Sipos is the founder of Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program™, a Nashville-based non-profit organization that she created after her son Gabe was diagnosed with cancer at the age of one. As you can imagine, the diagnosis turned their lives upside down. Now cancer-free, 10-year-old Gabe had a breakout role in the feature film "Country Strong" opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. 

To date, more than 20,000 children with cancer have been provided a source of comfort through Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program™, which was established in 2004 to provide education and comfort to children living with cancer through medical play using therapeutic tools.

The goal of the program is to enable hospital staff and parents to prepare children for chemotherapy treatment and eliminate the fear of the unknown. Chemo Duck is a stuffed yellow duck dressed in blue hospital scrubs with a bandana around its head, a chemotherapy port on its chest and an immobilizer on his arm. In a gentle, age-appropriate manner, children learn what to expect during cancer treatment and have a friend to share the experience. In turn, children can use Chemo Duck to help friends, siblings and classmates to understand and empathize with their experience.