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Perth
Children’s Hospital in Western Australia is leaning into the healing power of
catching waves and basking in the sun. Via a new program, kids with chronic
health conditions like type 1 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, burn injuries,
arthritis, and post-sarcoma injuries can get a much-needed break from their
hospital rooms for surfing lessons.
“There’s
a lot of emerging evidence about how the ocean … can actually make you feel
good and give you a sense of well-being,” clinical
psychologist Joanna White, who helped start the program, told Australia’s ABC
News. “But surfing, even on top of that, is fun, it’s playful, it’s exciting,
it tests your limits at times, and helps you to face your fears.”
Nine-year-old Ruby Taylor, who has undergone more than 20 surgeries since she
was seriously burned at age 4, is experiencing that firsthand. Surfing has
been a successful form of physical therapy for her, one that she gets to do
outside of the hospital walls. “Each time … I do the treatment, it gets
better,” she said.
“She loves being down here, she loves the instructors [and] she gets to
stretch all of her skin and bones and get the exact same exercise she would
at the hospital,” her mom added.
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