It was hours of crying everyday for Kimberly Forsythe when she lost her 23-month-old toddler in 2005. She is a happier woman now, having given birth to Tyler Foundation.
Forsythe`s son, Tyler Ferris, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was one-month old and died after a struggle of almost two years. The daunting experience turned her world upside down, she now recalls, in her courageous voice. She talks passionately about her new baby.
Tyler Foundation, the first Non-Profit Organization (NPO) to support families of kids fighting cancer in Japan, was born last year. Its creation has given a new meaning to Forsythe`s life - a reason to move on and feel motivated.
“It would have been easy to wallow in self pity,” she said. “Focusing that desperate energy on something positive was a huge help.”
The idea of setting up this organization was that of Forsythe`s husband, Mark Ferris, right after Tyler`s death, when she was still in a serious state of shock and mourning. He suggested her to set up a charity fund to help families fighting cancer. Two months later, she told herself one morning, after hours of crying, that she had no choice but to move on. It was then she started working on the concept, creating contents for the website of the foundation. She has been on her toes ever since.
“I embraced Mark`s suggestions and everything just gelled for me” said Forsythe, who now devotes most of her time visiting hospitals, organizing charity events, reaching out to people going through the distress she once was a part of.
The US-born Forsythe aims to help and support the families of kids fighting against cancer by providing them with counseling services, financial assistance for diagnostic tests, which aren’t covered by the Japanese health insurance system, and also by improving the life of patients by making their day a little brighter at the hospital.
As of date, the Foundation has raised $400,000, and Forsythe's programs, in cooperation with National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), will be introduced in some Japanese hospitals. Forsythe has already hired Satomi Funaki, a young clinical psychologist specializing in mother and child counseling, to provide counseling, play therapy and support for the children in the cancer ward of NCCHD.
“The concept of counseling is a foreign concept in Japan,” she said. “I want to help mums, who are spending all day in hospitals, away from their families. (For these patients,) I want to introduce simple things to keep them entertained as kids are bored in the hospitals.” She wants to organize entertaining events for kids and provide them with access to computers so that they can send emails to their friends.
Some of the ideas Forsythe wants to implement are of her own, derived from her own experiences, and some from the surveys she conducts. She also consults her team of experts, which includes, Dr. Masaaki Kumagai from the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the NCCHD, Tamaki Kumagai, assistant professor in faculty of Nursing and Medical Care at Keio University, and Shigeko Saiki-Craighill, professor of pediatric nursing at Tokyo Metropolitan University, researching in the medical culture surrounding pediatric cancer patients and their families.
It has been a difficult journey for Forsythe from the beginning – losing Tyler, raising funds and now trying to change the Japanese mindset. But she is optimistic about the difference she can make in the society.
“There are problems we face with hospitals – what we are trying to do is a hard sell,” she said. “When we go to them with our ideas, they see new work causing them more work. This is going to take a little time, but some Japanese hospitals are willing to give it a go.”
It may be a long and laborious process for Forsythe in a society known for being conservative and not so forthcoming with new ideas, but she is determined to continue with her work. She lost one Tyler, but hopes to see her new Tyler grow.
