Smile at Life

At CHU de Besançon, the association Sourire à la vie offers children with cancer adapted physical activity sessions. The goal is to prevent muscle loss while providing a brief respite.

There is the school room, the parents’ lounge, and then the gym. It is in this corridor, at the entrance to the pediatric hematology-oncology service, that the small comforts set up by the hospital and associations are found to soften the daily lives of sick children and their families. For 5 years, the association Sourire à la vie has been present at the CHU de Besançon, and it is the only branch in Franche-Comté (the large region has one in Dijon, recently established).

The organization provides adapted physical activity sessions for children with cancer, hospitalized in the inpatient unit or day hospital, and offers outings for those who have completed their treatment. In the gym at CHU, equipment like a treadmill, inflatable punching bag, mats, rackets, and hoops are waiting to be used.

“Once the diagnosis is made, we give them some time to process. Then, we offer them sports sessions between 20 and 40 minutes, in the gym, or for those who cannot, in their room. For those in the day hospital, it’s in the hallways,” explained Manon Girard, a teacher in adapted physical activity for Sourire à la vie.

The goal is multi-faceted: to minimize muscle loss as these young patients are often bedridden, and to promote socialization. “For those who want and can, we can have small group sessions, with two or three kids, giving parents a break,” emphasized Manon Girard.

For some, these sports sessions provide a moment of escape, while others are more hesitant. The sessions have the merit of getting children out of their rooms, away from medication, doctors. “I see the difference even in mood,” noted the teacher. “It also affects fatigue, muscle loss, sometimes the side effects of treatments. It’s adjusted based on the child’s condition, I work closely with the medical teams. Sometimes, doctors come to me for a patient.” Some even set up a sports program with Manon.

The association Sourire à la vie follows around 80 children. Every year, between 8 and 10 children who have completed their treatment after being hospitalized in Besançon go on day trips to Marseille. “We see the importance of these outings, the benefit of returning to a community, empowerment,” observed Manon Girard. “We support during and after treatments, returning home can be a bit difficult sometimes.” The association organizes an annual trip to Arc-sous-Cicon in February.

On May 23, the Flames race – an orienteering event – brings together families affiliated with the association in the Chaux forest. In August, a mountain bike raid between Lamoura and Pontarlier is organized in partnership with the young people from the association Générations Grenier solidaires (from the Grenier college in Pontarlier). Each expedition, each outing, each sports session is covered by Sourire à la vie. Only a 10 euro membership fee is required. In Besançon, the hospital covers the membership for sick children.