Inova Fairfax Hospital is rated number one in the Washington D.C. metro area for its excellence in cancer treatment. They are known for their top medical staff and state-of-the-art equipment. However, junior Jason Cui found one major flaw in its system: teen cancer patients just weren’t getting the emotional support they needed.
“Due to the fact that they were trapped in a hospital setting 24/7, I realized that they lacked the full social experience that all teenagers are able to go through,” said Cui after working with the teens one-on-one this past summer.
To fix this problem, Cui created Youth Inspire, a non-profit organization designed to connect and motivate teen cancer patients throughout their treatment. “This provides patients with the comfort and familiarity of teen support that is often absent in a hospital setting,” said Cui.
The first aspect of the two-part non-profit is a program called “Teens Helping Teens.” It involves teens all around the world taking pictures with the signature Youth Inspire sign. This raises awareness for the cancer patients’ lack of emotional support around the globe. For every picture taken, charitable organizations donate $1 to Youth Inspire. So far Youth Inspire has collected over 300 photos through their Facebook page.
Members of Youth Inspire also make visits to the pediatric oncology wing of Inova Fairfax Hospital, here they directly interact with patients: playing sports, video games, and board games among other activities.
With Cui’s creation of a Youth Inspire club at Langley, his peers have played a large part in making Youth Inspire happen. Club vice president Ezzy Siriam says that with the additional help from the Langley community, Youth Inspire “would like to set up a rotating schedule for hospital visits in order to provide regular support for the pediatric cancer center.”
“My favorite part about working with the kids at Inova is being able to brighten up their day, and just having a really fun time,” said junior Youth Inspire member Rosie Brock.
Moving forward, the leaders of Youth Inspire hope to expand their ideas of teen care and support in the Virginia area, to become nationwide, and eventually universal. “As long are there are hospitals with teen patients, there will be always be a need for Youth Inspire,” said Cui.