CU Nursing - Commencement Spring 2021 - 18

18

G R A D U AT I O N

I want my cells to
be healthy. " - Jeron, 11
After two decades in pediatric oncology, CU Nursing PhD candidate
Jennifer Raybin has seen her share of
suffering, watching her little patients
struggle with pain, illness and the
concept of death.
As a lifelong dancer and lover of the
arts, Raybin also knows creative work
makes people feel better. " Anything that
supports them along the way is going to
make a difference, " said Raybin whose
capstone project focused on her work
with her young patients and creative
arts therapy (CAT), which employs art,
music and movement. Raybin knows CAT
studies in adult cancer patients found improved quality of life and hopes adding
a little fun and creativity amid the drug
infusions and needle pricks can help her
little patients.

Combining
Creative Art With
Chemotherapy

A

By Debra Melani

10-year-old girl smiles for the camera as she holds
her artwork - a picture of a dangerous-looking
creature - in front of her chest. Plastic tubes
poke out from behind the masterpiece, covering
her lap. Peach fuzz tops the little girl's head as
she beams up from her hospital chair.
Called a 'Narwhal-a-saur,' her creation " might look a bit
mean, " the little girl explained in a narrative on the other
side of the research poster bearing her photo. " But he is
really nice. His sharp teeth and horns contain healing
powers, " said the girl, a cancer patient. " When he bites or
pokes a person, it doesn't even hurt. "

CU College of Nursing | May Commencement 2021

The Expressive Sunflower
Created by Reagan,6
The Expressive Sunflower lived
when dinosaurs roamed Earth. It
is almost extinct except for a rare
few which grow in the Colorado
mountains. When picked, the
sunflower clicks and snaps. It
emits a strange but not unpleasant
fragrance. The fragrance heals
the person who picks it, but
it only works on Fridays.

" It started with out-patients coming
to the infusion center for their chemotherapy treatments, " she said of her first
CAT study.
While their therapeutic drugs slowly
dripped into their veins, the children
would join in a circle, finger-painting, playing parachute and building
popsicle-stick sculptures, Raybin said.
" Or, sometimes, they'd beat on drums to
get their anger out. "
Raybin first presented some of her research in 2019 to her colleagues during
CU Nursing's first Research Symposium.
Since that poster presentation, she has
continued to analyze these data from
100 children with cancer. Her research
showed evidence that an increased
amount of creative arts therapy is related
to improved reports of quality of life.
" We also showed that younger kids reported better quality of life. There were
CU Nursing - Commencement Spring 2021

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