Turning a wrench. Twisting a bolt. These tasks may seem simple, just basic skills that take little effort. But for children and parents dealing with pediatric cancer, these tasks are the means to counter the side effects of a life-changing diagnosis. At the Austin Hatcher Foundation, they are the stuff of Industrial Arts Therapy.
Stay healthy
Four risk factors influence 65 percent of adult cancer diagnoses. As the Explorer is shown, it raises awareness and promotes the incorporation of these four practices into people’s daily lives:1. Eat healthy2. Exercise3. Use sunscreen4. Don’t smoke
In 2006, in response to the loss of their 10-week-old son, Austin Hatcher, to pediatric cancer, Dr. Jim and Amy Jo Osborn established the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer in downtown Chattanooga.
“When we lost our son,” says Dr. Osborn, “a question came at that point: Do you retreat and lick your wounds, or do you forge ahead and fill a void you’ve been shown was there?”
For the Osborns, the choice was to fill the void.