Description
In this Conquering Cancer segment from THV11, Karen Fuller speaks with Kesha Baoua, who shares her journey from being diagnosed with the same breast cancer her mother battled. Together, they highlight the CLIMB program at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, which supports children and families dealing with cancer through art, emotions, and shared experiences.
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Transcript
Karen Fuller:
How someone responds to learning they have cancer is as individual as the person themselves. But one universal part of that diagnosis is the feeling that life may never be the same.
In our Conquering Cancer series this morning, see a support group available to all Arkansans that’s only one of two in the state. Healing people who are sick from the most threatening illnesses happens every day here at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute on the UAMS campus. And behind these walls, there’s a program meant to heal the families of patients receiving treatment.
Kesha Baoua:
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was nine. And so from the time of her diagnosis, I always wondered, would it be me one day?
Fuller:
The day did come in August of 2022. Kesha Baoua learned that she did have the same disease her mom fought and beat. The wife and mother to son Boukari had been smart about routine mammograms. So while she was still startled, she wasn’t entirely surprised. Her sister is also fighting breast cancer, and she remembers explaining to her son that she now had the same illness as his aunt.
Kesha Baoua:
I was expecting, you know, “Are you going to be okay? Are you going to die?” He said, “Well, mom, how is this going to impact your life expectancy?”
And I was like. “You’re six!” My response was, “Baby, we are a family that believes in God. We don’t know what the future holds, but we believe that He knows. And whatever happens, it’s going to be okay.”
Fuller:
During the flurry of chemo, surgery and radiation, a UAMS social worker called with an invitation to come to a support group for cancer patients, her husband and even young Boukari.
Kesha Baoua:
He said, “Yeah, I want to try it.”
Fuller:
The program is called CLIMB. CLIMB stands for Children’s Lives Include Moments of Bravery. Each weekly 90-minute session focuses on one emotion or feeling, with counselors using art and pictures to draw out the feelings and fears of the children. Some that parents were not even aware of.
Kesha Baoua:
It was really nice to be able to sit with other parents and to hear the experiences that they were having with their children. And it allowed me to see things that were going on with him that I didn’t even know about.
Fuller:
What do you know about cancer — what it is?
Boukari Baoua:
I know that there are many types of cancer. There are stages. It can affect people in different ways.
Karen Fuller:
Kesha says the program taught her more about her son by seeing her journey through his eyes.
Kesha Baoua:
What I realized later was that he was trying to protect me. And so there were some things that he was not telling me about that he was concerned about because he didn’t want to bother me with it. He wanted to protect me.
Fuller:
There is no cost to attend the CLIMB program. According to UAMS, all expenses for the families are covered by an anonymous donor. Contact the Cancer Institute if you’re interested in the next set of classes.
