Puppet therapy in Brazil helps children face delicate health treatments

A doll is much more than a toy in the hands of a child who has to face delicate health care. In a playful way, therapists can use these colorful cloth beings to help little patients understand and accept the procedures they must go through, in addition to fueling their self-esteem.

The Bonecar Project and the Bonecas de Propósito initiative are dedicated to making and delivering to several hospitals hundreds of dolls and dolls that help in the therapy of Brazilian children with cancer, with kidney, heart, albino problems and even help mothers in the breastfeeding period.

O awesome.club visited Bonecar’s headquarters, in São Paulo, and tells some stories of how this very serious game can be positive for the little patients. At the bonuswe give tips on how to collaborate.

“Why will my hair fall out again? Other kids have hair, I don’t understand why I don’t,” Isa asked her mother, upon receiving the news that she would have to undergo new cycles of chemotherapy in her cancer treatment.

The occupational therapy team at the hospital presented the girl with a doll very similar to her, bald, owner of a wig and a hat and with a dress printed with carrots. Isa explored the toy, tried on the bonnet, then the wig. In the ecumenical space of the hospital, she thanked God for the doll, which she named Carrot.

She stayed at home for a few weeks and returned for the second infusion of cells. Upon arriving at the hospital, she asked her mother: “Where is the Carrot?”, referring now to the occupational therapist who had given her the doll and who ended up earning the same nickname.

“The connection and identification of the patient with the resource were evident, considering that the objective of using the material was achieved”, wrote the therapist in the report delivered to Associação CasAzul, a non-governmental organization that maintains the Bonecar Project.

Much more than toys, these friendly cloth beings help the child to understand and better assimilate their treatment, as happened with the girl Isa.

Little Gehazi, 2 years old, pictured above, was withdrawn and threw the doll on the floor. But after some time he picked him up and hugged him. The psychologist at the Children’s Hospital Darcy Vargas, then, used the doll to work on important points of his treatment and integrate the boy with other children and with the hospital team.

“They are therapeutic and playful instruments with which children identify. The dolls are your company in difficult times, raise the child’s self-esteem and help health professionals perform procedures. It is a way of humanizing treatment and promoting health”, says Gigi Carvalho, president of CasAzul.

The dolls also help children with kidney failure to understand and accept the hemodialysis sessions they must undergo. With the help of this resource, therapists are able to persuade little ones who are afraid of treatment, “applying” the same procedure to the dolls.

In the photo above, Rogério Ferroni, president of the organization Heroes do Bem, wears Captain America’s costumes and helps deliver a doll on hemodialysis at Hospital Samaritano, in São Paulo.

Gigi explains that CasaAzul does not deliver the dolls, as it must be carried out by occupational therapists. “They are professionals trained to interact with children, they know each case, they know the best way to approach the subject and apply therapeutic resources through playing with the dolls”, she says.

A “patient” undergoes a dialysis session at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of USP. Note that he gets the identification bracelet, as if he had also been admitted to the hospital. This helps the child to understand his problem and to feel less alone.

Heart children, who have undergone surgery or transplants, have their own special model of dolls. They come with a scar on the chest and, on the outside, a brightly colored, beating heart, to help children get through the post-op period.

Albino children suffer prejudice, bullying and need to maintain a very specific care routine. The dolls are an important instrument to strengthen self-esteem and are used therapeutically by the team of the Pro-Albino Program at Santa Casa de São Paulo.

Due to their genetic condition of lack of melanin, albino children are subject to more frequent medical follow-up to avoid skin cancer, premature aging or worsening of vision problems.

The albino dolls come with glasses and a bag where they carry the sunscreen tube, to encourage the child to take care of himself daily.

Adult women and teenagers can also count on the support of dolls to understand, for example, the importance of breastfeeding for the health of babies. This beautiful curly-haired doll is one of the “moms” who help healthcare professionals convey the concept of breastfeeding to real moms.

You definitely don’t have to be a child to feel the warmth that a little doll can bring in a difficult time. “This beautiful lady, almost 90 years old, underwent a cardiac procedure and asked the medical team for a Purpose Doll. It is wonderful the support that a therapeutic doll can give to patients of all ages”, wrote on Instagram the team of Bonecas de Propósito, an initiative based in Rio de Janeiro that originated the Bonecar Project.

About 80% of the dolls and dolls delivered by the project benefit from the Unified Health System (SUS). In an Instagram post, Santa Casa de São Paulo thanked the Bonecar Project’s donation: “We are grateful to the volunteers of the Association for their contribution and dedication to the cause of health”.

In 2019, more than 500 dolls were delivered to more than 10 hospitals and the number tends to be higher in 2020. Projeto Bonecar is preparing to manufacture a new line of dolls dedicated to children with vision problems.

The cloth beings of Projeto Bonecar are made by a loving team of 48 volunteers who take turns in the Associação CasAzul workshop in São Paulo. All tasks are very well organized, so that the delivery goal is met.

Adjusting the clothes of a new good friend.

Doll therapy is a reality in many parts of the world. In the photo above, Japanese nurse Kana Harada examines a “patient” along with the child, explaining the procedures that the little one will also have to undergo.

Kana works at the Toho University Medical Center in Tokyo, where liver transplants are performed. She is also a member of the Association of Child Life Professionals, which brings together professionals specializing in child health across the planet.

You don’t need to have sewing skills to collaborate with Projeto Bonecar and with Dolls of Purpose. These are initiatives that live on donations and need a constant team of collaborators to continue making dolls and helping many children to go through a difficult phase with more lightness and hope.

In the case of Projeto Bonecar, you can adopt a doll, which will be presented to a child with a card bearing their name. Or buy a beautiful pendant designed by jewelry designer Lica Vicenzi. Find out how to collaborate by visiting the associacaocasazul.org.br website.

What did you think of the therapeutic experience with dolls? Is there a similar initiative in your city or region? Tell us in the comments!