When the clinic visits for my 2-year-old daughter’s cancer treatment became our new routine, I recall noticing the Kids Kicking Cancer brochures in the clinic’s waiting room.
The ups and downs and unfamiliarity of treatment prevented us from participating until the name Kids Kicking Cancer kept popping up through different friends. Giving it a try, we quickly realized that Kids Kicking Cancer was more than martial arts. It’s our support group, our social group, and our play group.
The involvement doesn’t end after treatment is finished. Today, 4-year-old Priya is doing well, 10 months past treatment, and Kids Kicking Cancer is still as important to us now as it was when she was receiving treatment. Beyond the power breathing, Priya receives the benefits of martial arts: fitness, self-discipline, patience, focus, and respect.
When we attend classes, Priya gets to be in a safe environment with kids her own age. And I get to be with other parents who understand what it’s like to have a child with cancer. Now that Priya’s central lines have been removed, things we’ve learned like using the pinwheels to practice pokes will be extremely useful.
We are extremely grateful to have such an organization exist for families like us.