By NSCC Journalism student Paige Dillman who is interning with The Laker News
HALIFAX: The QEII Foundation and Nova Scotia Health have collaborated to unveil a new and enhanced Sunshine Room.
The Sunshine room is a calming space for cancer patients and family members to try to relax or have some quiet time.
Sunshine Room Coordinator, Erin Fair, says that it’s important for patients and families to have a place like this.
“It is more than ‘just a room’: it is a place of comfort, of refuge, of community. It is a place where cancer patients can relax in between their treatments and appointments.” Fair says.
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During the pandemic, Fair says, the room was converted into systemic therapy treatment pods, which at the time were highly needed.
Also, the Sunshine Room is completely run by volunteers, and with no volunteers being permitted in the building during the pandemic, the room was not operational.
After five years, they decided there needed to be another room like this for cancer patients and families, so they joined with Nova Scotia Health to build a new one.
Fair says this room offers things like massage therapy, Reiki or reflexology, given by licensed volunteers, along with wigs and wig fittings.
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Over time, they hope to add a book club, a knitting club and art therapy to the room.
The reason it took so long to reopen the room was that it took two years to secure a new and suitable location.
The Sunshine Room is open Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Donations to The Sunshine Room can be made at QE2Foundation.ca/donate. The Sunshine Room begins welcoming patients on May 26.
