Imagine your blood counts going up and having increased energy.
There is a factory within your body. It can be a toy factory, chocolate factory or any other type of factory that you imagine. The factory is very busy. There are three chimneys and instead of smoke coming out, one chimney is producing red blood cells, another white blood cells and the last one platelets.
The good blood cells fly out of the chimney and pile up within your body. You can feel the energy produced by the factory and all the new blood cells.
The images on this page represent various visualizations by children as they went through their fight with cancer. Some represent defeating cancer while others help improve blood counts, ease pain and promote general wellness.
They can be used just as you see them or as a starting point to help generate a child's own personal image.
Click on the image to view a larger picture along with the story about how it works.
Shows a drill Sergeant yelling at the cells to multiply. Helpful when giving blood.
The Drill Sergeant
Working your body to help with blood levels
Imagine feeling better as you see your body producing more good blood cells.
There is a drill sergeant inside your body who is yelling at all the cells (red, white and platelets) The cells are inside three separate containers. He always yells at them to multiply and get bigger and bigger. You can here him saying "Work it, Work it!!!
The cells eventually fill the entire container all the way to the top.
There is a vein that goes into the tube and sucks all the cells out of the container. You can imagine the next time you need to give blood, the needle will go into your arm and will fill up with all of these great blood cells.
The next time you have to give blood, imagine the drill sergeant or any other character you can make up.
Santa drops presents that are filled with red and white blood cells.
Santa Drops Presents
Getting the present of more blood cells
Imagine feeling better as you see your body producing more good blood cells.
Santa flies inside your body, dropping off presents which float down. As they drop, they open up and inside are blood cells which fill up your body with all the extra blood you need. Each nite Santa visits you and delivers these presents and each day your blood levels go up and up.
Thermometer fills up with blood cells and breaks through the top.
The Thermometer
Internally Monitoring Your Blood Levels
Imagine feeling better as you see your body producing more good blood cells.
As your blood counts go up, a thermometer within your body fills up. You can see the blood counts starting at a lower level and then rise, eventually bursting through the top of the thermometer.
Magic glove is put on and slowly numbs the hand or arm.
Magic Numbing Glove
Numbs Your Hand or Arm
Imagine no more pain when giving blood, getting an IV or any other type of needle.
This magic glove can be put on just before you are about to get a needle in your hand or arm. Take the imaginary glove out of the package and slowly put it on your hand. Make sure you take your time and feel each finger squeezing snugly into each space where the fingers go. Continue to pull the glove onto your hand, pushing it up over your wrist until it reaches your elbow and covers the area where you will be getting the needle. As you are sliding the glove on, you can feel the skin beginning to get numb and lose feeling. The longer the glove is on, the more your hand and arm get numb until you can barely feel anything.
Another idea similar to this is to imagine you are dipping your hand into a bowl full of a special numbing solution. Picture in your mind how it would feel and then notice how your arm, hand, port or anyother part of your body slowly becomes numb and loses feeling.
Now you are ready for the needle, knowing that it will not hurt.
A girl gathers the cancer cells within her body and drops them off a cliff.
See Yourself Defeating Cancer
Dropping Cells Off a Cliff
Getting the cancer out of your body
Imagine yourself clearing the cancer cells from your body
Picture yourself gathering the cancer cells from your body and walking to a beautiful place and dropping them off a cliff, never to return. You can see a beautiful sun rising and birds (which symbolize freedom) flying around. You can envision this area any way you like, possibly in a beautiful forest with deer and rabbits running around or maybe it is more tropical, a beautiful paradise. At first you may find a lot of cells to collect, but each day you do this, you may find less as the cancer cells become fewer and fewer until eventually there are no more cells to find.
Girl place puts her worries in a ballon and wathces them fly away
Watch Your Worries Fly Away
Release the fear, worry and stress
To help when you are scarred, worried or feel to much stress.
When you feel worried, fearful or upset, takes your worries out of your mind and place them into a giant helium balloon and send them floating away. Watch as the balloon clears the trees, then birds, then clouds until it can no longer be seen.
Putting your worries somewhere and then watching them disappear can be very helpful during tough times.
Imagine yourself as a super hero to help you overcome any fears or pain.
There may be times that you are feeling scared and afraid. That is OK. Cancer can be very scary. Picture yourself as your favorite super hero. Imagine that you are strong, powerful and full of energy. You know that there is evil out there trying to defeat you but you are a super hero and able to over come your enemies.
The Beam of Light
Feeling energized and zapping cancer cells
Imagine a feeling of energy running through your body and destroying the cancer.
Picture a light from above coming down and going directly into your body. It could be from god, from the sun, the stars or just from anywhere. This beam of light enters your body and is filled with a powerful energy. Maybe it goes directly to your tumor and zaps it with power or maybe it fills your whole body, giving it an amazing power to be strong and energized. You can make it work for you in any way that you feel is right. As the light beam enters your body, see the energy inside your body and feel the warmth and power that it brings.
Pain in boys stomach shrinks as he breathes and pain goes away
Breath Away Stomach Pain
Imagine your stomach ache going away
To help when your belly hurts
You may often find that you get a stomach ache. It may happen when you get nervous before your treatment or surgery or maybe at night while you are in bed. One of the best things you can do when this happens is to focus on your breathing. Imagine your stomach pain any way you want to. Maybe it is a big knot in your stomach, or maybe it is so full of air or gas it hurts. Now imagine that every time that you take a nice easy breath out through your mouth, what ever is causing the pain gets a little bit smaller. If your belly is full of air, each breath lets a little bit more air out. If it is in knots, each breath loosens the knot just a little bit. It may take a lot of breathing, but as you do so, little by little, the pain goes away. Eventually the cause of your problem is so small that you no longer have a stomach ache. Make sure you focus on your breathing, not on the pain.
Imagine that each time you get a chemotherapy treatment, you can see the drugs going into your body. The chemo is very powerful and tells the ugly, weak cancer cells to "Get Out!" See the cancer cells shiver with fear as they know they are beaten and must leave.
Chemotherapy Hero
Imagine the chemotherapy as a powerful hero defeating cancer
Feel the power coming from your loved ones and believe in the medical staff there to help you
The Power of Love, Trust & Belief
Allow your family, friends and medical staff to give you extra support
To utilize the power of your team
There are many things involved in getting better, and one of the most important is your positive attitude. Never stop believing that you will get better. Knowing that you have the best medical care in the world is very important. You must trust and have faith in your doctors, nurses, social workers and everyone else who is working so hard to make you better. They are very smart people. Believe in what they are doing.
Also believe in the love you have from family, friends and other well wishers. All of these people are there supporting you. With the love and knowledge of all of these people, it creates a winning team that can defeat anything. Allow them to help, but never stop believing in yourself. A positive attitude is a very, very strong weapon.
Boy is blowing bubbles to focus on breathing to help relieve stress and anxiety
Blowing Bubbles
Imagine blowing bubbles to focus on your breathing
To help control stress and anxiety
Taking deep, relaxing breaths is a great way to reduce the stress and fears that can build up inside of you. All you need to do is take in a deep breath through your nose. Let the air fill up inside of your belly, then blow it out in a slow, steady stream through your mouth. Pretend that you are blowing bubbles out of your mouth. Try and make each bubble the exact same size as the one before. If you blow to hard, the bubbles will be very big at first and then get very small. By blowing in a slow, steady manner, all the bubbles should be close to the same size.
A great way to learn how to do this is by using real bubbles. Take a bottle of liquid soap and a bubble wand and practice taking a deep breath in through your nose, letting the air fill your belly. Then blow out through your mouth into the wand,trying to make all of the bubbles about the same size. Once you do this a few times you should be able to do the same thing without the soap and wand, just using your imagination.
Boy goes on journey in space ship while getting CT Scan
Space Exploration
Imagine your next scan becomes an exciting journey
To help overcome the fear and anxiety of scans and tests
Some kids (and adults) get nervous at the thought of having an MRI, CT Scan or any other such procedure. The big machines and all that technology can be a little overwhelming. If you look at it as an adventure instead of a scary procedure, it may help you get through the process. When you are scheduled for any type of test like this, pretend you are going on a sensational journey. Maybe all of that fancy equipment is your space ship, taking you on an exciting adventure, or maybe it is a time machine taking you forward or backward in time. It can be anything that you like. When you get into the machine, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and let your imagination take you anywhere you want to go. You may find that you don’t want the test to end.
Imagine that there are two armies inside your body. One army is made up of good cells and the other army is made up of cancer cells. A big battle takes place between the two armies. The good army cells keep on multiplying while the cancer army gets smaller and smaller with each battle. Eventually the good cells are so strong that they kill off the much smaller and weaker cancer army.
Picture the battle clearly and see the good army slowly killing off the cancer cells.
Boy is focusing on other things instead of what is bothering him
Distraction
To help alleviate stress, pain or fears
Imagine things other than what you are worried about
Pain and fear can often be eased through the power of your mind. By focusing on something other than whatever it is that is bothering you, you may be able to help yourself feel better. If you are worried about an up coming procedure, such as surgery or a chemotherapy treatment, try to remember everything that is in a room of the house (that has lots of stuff in it), reciting the times tables, counting by 3's or counting backwards. It can be anything that will make you think and concentrate. This technique can also be used to help alleviate pain or help you fall asleep.
