Shay Beider was poised to go to medical school when she saw a girl moments before a surgery.
"She was really frightened, and unfortunately she went into surgery in that state of fear," Beider recalled.
She wondered if touch therapy and other alternative approaches might help comfort children in stressful health-care situations.
So Beider founded Integrative Touch for Kids, a non-profit organization that incorporates a holistic approach to healing, in addition to traditional Western medicine. The treatments are for children with chronic, acute and life-threatening illnesses.
Now Beider has a vision to develop an integrative healing retreat center in Tucson. Still in the planning stages, Beider says a physical location for the center hasn't been selected.
Here are excerpts from a discussion with Beider, Integrative Touch's executive director:
People are also reading…
Q: What is Integrative Touch for Kids?
A: We really designed it to enhance the well-being and minimize suffering for children with chronic, acute and life-threatening illness. Currently, the major project that we're doing to achieve that is creating a healing retreat center for kids with special needs and their families.
Our inaugural program is going to be the week of July 19-25 out at White Stallion Ranch in Marana, and the kids and families will come for a week and receive a full range of integrative healing therapies: massage, laughter therapy, play therapy, yoga and meditation.
What's really neat about this is it's a totally unique model. It's the first attempt at trying this model anywhere. It also includes the whole family, because we're taking into account that when a family has a child with special needs, the whole family is affected and needs a chance for healing.
Q: Where does the money come from?
A: For the inaugural retreat, everything is coming from philanthropy. It's grant-driven and coming from individual donors.
In the future, a community could sponsor a child or family that wants to have this experience. A school or religious organization could sponsor a family. So that's one model we're looking at to raise the funds as we grow.
Q: Has the recession and cuts in social services had any effect on your hopes for growth?
A: Because so many cuts are happening, and so many services are falling by the wayside for these kids and their families — the need is greater. So there's tremendous support for this idea because families are feeling such a lack that they need this particular program at this moment.
Q: What kind of response have you had from the mainstream medical community?
A: We've been extremely fortunate because it is an integrative model, which is inclusive of Western medicine. We have had a positive response because physicians see it as providing additional resources for the kids and families that they work with.
Q: How do you imagine staffing levels will grow as the organization expands?
A: Right now we have an amazing volunteer base, but we would certainly want to grow that into a staff that we are able to run that on a full-time basis, especially when we get the center up and running.
For more information Go to: www.integrativetouch.org