When Sean Cheetham’s then-11-year-old son was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, he and his wife found it difficult to work through the process of getting the right medication and treatment amidst an overwhelming sense of worry and anxiety.
But with the help of the Children’s Hospital’s new assistance program London Health Science Center (LHSC), they were provided with the right resources to improve their son’s situation.
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shared decision making program (SDM) provides personalized support through health professionals to families during sudden life-changing moments. According to health officials, “When family members are faced with challenging and complex medical decisions, they are matched with a decision support coach who provides unbiased support.”
The clinical pediatrics program is the first of its kind in Canada and is currently helping over 200 families at Children’s Hospital, including Cheethams.
“My son had some issues, and he didn’t really present the way other kids do at his age,” Cheetham recalled. “It was very shocking to his mother and me because it was one of those situations where you just didn’t believe it and we couldn’t imagine this happening to our son.”
Shawn Cheatham, a parent who was helped by Children’s Hospital’s Shared Decision Making Program (SDM) after discovering that his young son had Crohn’s disease.
Steve Young / LHSC
Through ongoing treatment, Cheetham said “there’s a lot of worry and concern that you’re doing the right thing for your child” in serious situations like this. But with the help of decision coaches and the SDM program, she said it provided clarity for her family.
“It gave us a moment to step away from the emotional side of things, the fear, and a safe space to have conversations about the things that worried us most; The drugs and their side effects, the aggression of trying to manipulate her immune system, these are things you don’t take lightly as a parent,” he said.
“You also don’t want to appear disrespectful to the medical community that’s taking care of your child. So, the program was really successful for us because it allowed us to address that concern, from our own fears and anxieties and concerns.” to pass through, and then, like a therapist, helped you hold the mirror up and allow you to examine why you’re feeling the emotions that you’re having.
“The program was very successful for our family, because it allowed us to work through the pain and anxiety that was causing it and come to a clearer decision.”
In addition to the reduced psycho-social stress that comes with this level of critical patient decision-making, the program has also been shown to improve some patients’ overall treatment planning, officials said.
According to Cheetham, her son, now 13, “continues to feel healthy and strong, and he’s growing well, and he has no real symptoms of his illness, which is wonderful.”
“For someone to be 11 years old and get shocked like that, it can be really traumatic,” he said. “I think, in part because the program has allowed her to focus on[her diagnosis]and be a 13-year-old, instead of worrying about what’s to come or what’s happened in the past.
“I think the best thing we can do is give ourselves, his mom and me, and ourselves the space to work through these issues so that we don’t project these worries and fears onto him, And he can be a happy, healthy person,” Cheetham said. “I’m very happy to report that he feels like he’s living his life and he’s not always bothered or worried about these things and that’s the goal.”
She said the SDM program played a “significant role” in deciding about treatment for her son’s illness, encouraging other parents who may be in similar circumstances to try the program.
Cheetham said, “It was a wonderful experience to give yourself the room and the space that you can without letting yourself go on it like an emotional freefall.” “I think anyone faced with this almost insurmountable sense of responsibility deserves this space to make a thoughtful and clear decision for their child.”
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