The Concept

My idea germinated between 1991-1993. In those two years of my life I was introduced to children suffering from cancer. My brother was diagnosed and hospitalized on the Cancer Ward in Nancy, France and later Besancon. At a time of life when emotions were overwhelming, sadness and feelings of joy collided. The joy came in a sense of “Spinoza” (our senses intoxicated by emotions a devotion to triumphs and downfall, our feelings overpowered by emotions of our being). Observing the situation I impulsively started to ask the sick children questions and listened:

I HEARD what the children wanted, the desire to be like everyone else, to live every day to the fullest, to endure and conquer, fight to the end.

I OBSERVED their reactions, when they conquered simple things like walking or playing, riding a bicycle, being with friends and family, or simply tapping a balloon to keep it airborne. Ordinary tasks that we take for granted every day. Cancer was robbing the children of this, a poignant testimony written by Emilie in her diary.

I wanted to keep the children’s hope “airborne” and could finally listen to the children’s propositions, even though the children’s limitations and expectations were obvious due to the disease.

A solution came when listening to a third year sports teacher student of APA, (those who study the mobility of handicapped or ill people). I decided to respond to these ideas with a profound devotion and gave my heart and soul to help sick children: these children should and would continue to exercise their bodies, even with their limitations, the techniques offered by the APA . The Head of the Department of Cancer, Professor Dr. Sommelet, her heart and soul devoted to her program, opened the door for a pilot program to adapt their procedures, to accommodate ours. This allowed the inconceivable and incompatible to be adapted, to overcome the potentially dangerous pathological hurdles. The impossible became possible. Now my whole heart was in this project, the adoration for my cancer stricken brother fuelling the fire, he passed away, but the project lives on today.

Participation

Confronted by inconceivable hurdles in cancer, it is possible to re-invent other aspects to accommodate different situations. I psychoanalyzed the situation, my adoration for my brother, could I orientate my sentiments without prejudice or would my emotions dominate the situation.

In the beginning I was confronted by my own limitations: would I be able to represent, be supportive, initiate to deal with the ideas of the APA and the aspects of children’s cancer? Without mediators to help me to apply the same expertise of the APA, when situations concerning the children who are suffering. The children who are fighting to live and for the children whose battles are far too great. We support family and friends to cope with the hardest part of all, death. 

We cannot erase the events from our experiences with everyday life, for the children we can apply our strengths and weaknesses to support their lives, without therapeutic, formal techniques, style and being critical. We can help them accept their body limitations, as they are real. We can build their self-esteem, working with our supportive teams, our physiotherapists and all those involved rebuilding the whole body and soul.

Our goal is to reintroduce a style of basic team effort done with affection. APA introduced me to this method, allowing me to work and achieve these goals. APA placed me with research students working to achieve methods of comprehension, concepts, and situations where every aspect was psychoanalyzed. They taught me to distance my emotions from the situations, sometimes very difficult situations. The students and I worked together as a team helping each other to achieve, and support and perfect to help those who needed us the most. The practical goal of the APA system teaches proper methods of physical training, emotional and creative approaches to difficult situations. The APA concept originated in Quebec, teaching in social training to help the population of handicapped in all categories.

The Application

The educational aspects are simple and the object is:

- satisfy the children according to individual age, family history, past sports abilities

- satisfy the parent’s specific concepts and ideas, how their child should be handled in every aspect of educational and emotional support

- to correspond with medical developments, changes in therapies and integrating diveres social events, like concerts, parties, and animated shows

- to give a higher quality of hospitalization stays for each child.

The practice of the APA is to have a space or room where each individual can express his/her emotions, to listen, ask questions be aggressive, laugh, cry or just be, without judgments. Like a comfort room, where all emotions respected, an empowering place. This system works, proven by the APA, testimonials from people whose lives were changed and helped by these acts of love, the heart of the movement.

The Effects

- Ten years of experience, 1600 reported cases, clinical research studies, we can conclude that the APA permits us to live like before,

- changed the concept of integrated sports for physically handicapped, adapting individual talents to achieve goals

- helped to modify hospital conditions and create a better atmosphere for all concerned,

- its specific goal is to develop individual skills for the physical and mentally handicapped.

The Perspective: Opening the Door to Others

Response to the large demand for our services. Listening, learning and practicing what we are teaching.

Continue the vital training of students and faculty in sports education (27 students 3rd and 4th year associated with the APA). A practical plan, placing students in hospitals around Europe, now educating students in Strasbourg, Grenoble, Bordeaux and today the frontier of Lausanne. The goal is to keep the interest in this subject alive, hoping to inspire others to choose and enter into this curriculum.

To associate the APA system to other services, pediatrics, cardiology, trauma centers. The possibility to introduce the system in centers treating anorexia, bulimia, obesity and substance and physical abuse centers.

The research:

This project of the Foundation of France opened the door for a cultural movement. Christine Pepin, responsible for an affiliation of the APA curriculum in the sports department of Nancy, has been able to orient the heart of the organization into contemporary dance. Contemporary dance enabled us to put away our inhibitions, liberating body movements. Transforming gestures and body movements to show us another view, opening our imaginations to choreographed music we see suffering, sensuality and pleasure. This emotional project exhibited in the entrance, enables us to visualize how cancer robs the children bodies of strength and movements, and gives the children a chance to show this through dancing.

Working together in research with the French-Swiss, evaluating the effects of the practice of the APA on children suffering with cancer, and associations for pediatric psychology with the Liaison of Lausanne. Distribution of these experiences through medical publications.

The Support with years of experience:

The APSEM was established in 1997 by the parents of sick children who were treated for cancer. We come together speaking about our past and speaking freely how we felt being confronted with cancer. The same subject repeats itself over and over and we offer more activities for the children who are hospitalized. The APA practices are offered 5 times a week with a great choice of activities, sports games where medals are received for participation, Emile Yung, chef of the Restaurant Crocodile in Strasbourg made special food for the participating children). After the children’s stay in hospital they can participate in the Roland Garros Day (mini motorcycles, side cars, dance shows, etc). I thank each and everyone of these wonderful people who donated time and money and the hospital personnel for their great assistance. Without all these fantastic people my ideas would only be dreams, today it is a reality.