Volunteers Create Special Masks for Iowa Pediatric Cancer Patients
PHOTO: LIZ MARTIN/UI HEALTH CARE
As a farewell gift for Iowa's radiation oncology department upon his graduation, Weiren Liu took about two months to design the pictured Super Herky mask, which is currently on display at UI Health Care Medical Center.
While a medical student at Iowa, Weiren Liu (21MD) volunteered to decorate around 70 radiation masks for children undergoing radiation therapy treatment for cancer at UI Health Care. The thermoplastic masks, which are molded to fit the patients’ face and upper body, are secured to a table to help keep children still as they wear them during the 15-minute treatment that targets cancer cells.
“Turning something that might have been a source of anxiety into something they looked forward to seeing was incredibly rewarding.” —Weiren Liu
“Even though the treatment is painless and highly effective, it can still be a scary and emotionally overwhelming experience for them,” says Liu, who decorated the masks to depict everything from animals to superheroes based on the patients’ requests. “Turning something that might have been a source of anxiety into something they looked forward to seeing was incredibly rewarding.”
Although Liu is now a radiation oncology resident at Washington University in St. Louis, other volunteer artists at Iowa keep the program running. Below are a few of their creations that help alleviate fears and bring smiles to pediatric patients at UI Health Care.
