the Lighthouse of smiles in Marseille supports children with cancer
“It is a place of life, respite and care. There are sports, games. We grow and we learn.” sums up Morgane Harlé, communication manager at the Sourire à la vie association, for the medical structure The Lighthouse of Smiles, in Marseille. This structure would never have emerged from the ground without the financial assistance – half of the total cost – of the Yellow Pieces operation which begins this Wednesday. This structure accompanies children with cancer after their treatment and their families. “Often, in the context of cancer, treatments are long and children are isolated. As soon as possible, they are allowed to play, to live in a community, to find friends. To find a real life of children despite the hardships”she continues.
Transitioning after the hospital
The Lighthouse of smiles is a luminous structure at l’Estaque in Marseille. She can accommodate up to 20 children between 4 and 25 years old undergoing treatment or in remission from cancer. Three types of stays are possible: community stays around weekly or weekend projects, weekly outpatient care and care and respite stays to make the transition after hospital. “Often the homecoming is quite violentsays pediatrician Blandine Valentin. The Lighthouse helps make the transition. We are doing medical follow-up and rehabilitation work.”
The Lighthouse of Smiles is also a real psychological support for families : “It allows you to regain your bearings, to empower the family who feels safe without feeling isolated. The parents have sent back to resume their role as parents and the everyday life that is forgotten when you are in the hospital”describes Blandine Valentin.
An essential structure…
From the start of the diagnosis, the association is present with the hospitalized children. “I can’t imagine those who don’t have this structure, to regain strength…“, says Inna, the mother of 16-year-old Edgar, who underwent a transplant in June 2021 following acute leukemia. Truly considered “a second home” by families, the Lighthouse of Smiles has a key role: “We were able to escape from the hospital. This gateway is so important. How good is it to get away. This framework helps us immensely to forget all the worries.“
Cut off from the world in hospital or at home, the Lighthouse created bond for sick children : “I think we find our second family. It allows them to meet people, discuss, laugh, share their anxieties. To get mentally, and physically“, describes Inna. This reception structure is also a real place of respite for parents: ” When we come home, it is difficult to manage our emotions and the fatigue required for so many years. We parents are exhausted. We know how to claim our child at the Lighthouse of Smiles, that we can be 1000% relaxed. We find our child much better, rested. They give each child their light, and move them forward at their own pace.”
…funded by Operation Yellow Pieces
Thanks to the association, Edgar was also able to travel to French Polynesia. Her mother is moved when she talks about it: “It is the dream of their whole life, and above all an escape from all that they have been able to accumulate during the illness. It gives him energy and hope, the breath to move forward and forget the painful past.”
The association aims toenlarge the structure to accommodate even more children, and eventually try to develop its actions with other diseases. The 2023 Yellow Coins campaign is open until February 4. This year marks the return of the cardboard piggy bank, to be collected from post offices to make donations.
By Margaux Bongrand