BLOEMFONTEIN – Not only does the National District Hospital have the first ever adolescent rooms, it now boasts a dedicated playroom for teenagers.
Reach for a Dream’s very first adolescent Dream Room was opened at National on Friday, 10 October.
Kerry Donkin, regional manager for Reach for a Dream in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Northern Cape opened the room along with officials and Joshua Moela, Managing Executive of Cell C that funded the Dream Room.
“Adolescents are often forgotten in a world where there are a lot of focus on pediatrics and treatment for adults. When I heard that teenagers are specifically cared for here in the National Oncology Unit, we jumped at the opportunity to create a unique room,” she said.
Dr. Anton van Aswegen, the Department of Health’s Head of Neurosurgery, said the hospital realised the need for a dedicated space for teenagers. Thanks to sponsorships two rooms were furnished and are now dedicated to teenage patients and their parents or caregivers while they receive treatment for cancer here. “This is the first hospital across private and public hospitals to dedicate space to adolescents,” he says.
“Being a teenager is already a difficult period. Put on top of that a cancer diagnosis, it really is tough. Having a space where their needs are taken into account, really makes a difference,” says Van Aswegen. “We tell them that there is a future. They should not give up hoping. They need to continue their schooling to be ready for the future.”
Donkin says the Dream Room at National was a creative opportunity for her team. “We have done several Dream Rooms, including one in the peadiatrics ward at the U niversitas Academic Hospital. This chance to do something for the teenagers, was a new chance to play around and make it special. We hope that future patients will enjoy this Dream Room, especially as it caters for the needs of our young adults.”
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