Inside OU
Project ALL-Stars
OU-Tulsa Program Helps Kids with Leukemia & their Best Friends
Going to the gym should be fun, especially if you’re a kid. If you’ve been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, known as ALL, fitness and wellness activities take on a bigger challenge. Wouldn’t it be great if you could bring your best friend with you?
A research and wellness project at OU-Tulsa with students in physical therapy, occupational therapy and nutrition sciences, Project ALL-Stars works under the mentorship of OU-Tulsa faculty members and a Saint Francis Health System pediatric oncologist. The project is in partnership with Saint Francis Children’s Hospital and the Tandy Family YMCA.
Project ALL-Stars uses physical activity, social interaction and education to reduce the physical and psychosocial effects of treatment for leukemia by adding the child’s best friend to their health and wellness management. This helps shift the focus from the cancer the child has to the normalizing activities of exercise, learning about healthy eating and simply having fun.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer of bone marrow and is the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Oklahoma. Management of ALL is intense and involves two to three years of treatment. Weakness, fatigue and decreased physical function are the most common problems that can follow survivors into adult life. Having your best bud at your side during this time can help alleviate the mental stress caused by all this.
Project ALL-Stars helps children diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and their families achieve optimal health and a sense of normalcy through fitness and wellness activities. It is a collaboration directly impacting the state of Oklahoma and made up of faculty and students from the College of Allied Health Rehabilitation Sciences and Nutrition Sciences Departments at OU-Tulsa. ALL-Stars meets every other Tuesday at the Tandy Family YMCA in Tulsa.
