If you could create a place where you feel safe and at peace, what would you put in it?
For one child, it was a blue ocean embracing a beloved friend. For another, it was a sky filled with twinkling stars. One child drew a road leading home or a place where the whole family could go out together during the National Day holiday on September 2.
These little worlds were created by children with cancer at Children’s Hospital 2 during an art therapy session on September 9, held as part of the program’s psychosocial support activities, with the generous support of Madame Lam – Vietnamese Contemporary Cuisine and Second Runner-up Trinh Thi Hong Dang.
Through art, the session offered the children a safe and open space to release stress, ease the exhaustion of lengthy treatment, and express feelings they may find difficult to put into words with their parents. They were encouraged to take the lead in every creative decision, helping them regain a sense of safety and confidence while nurturing a more positive spirit throughout their journey with illness.
As the children immersed themselves in creating their own worlds, their parents were also given a quiet moment to create with clay and make little “companions” and messages of love for their children. One mother shaped a small birthday cake to celebrate her child, another made a sunflower, while others created zodiac animals representing their children’s birth years.
Our heartfelt thanks to Madame Lam Restaurant for their generous support and for spending time with the children in person. We are also grateful to Second Runner-up Trinh Thi Hong Dang, Nguyen Huong Linh (Master’s in Art Therapy), and all the volunteers who helped create an afternoon filled with joy, warmth, and connection.
