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Therapy dogs return to delight Banner patients

BY SYDNEY MACKIE Tribune Staff Writer

Banner Health hospitals across the Valley are reinstating their popular pet therapy program, once again bringing joy and comfort to patients with visits from certi�ied therapy dogs that were benched for more than a year by the pandemic. Among the �irst patients visited was 5-year-old Mesa resident Gordon Hardy, who has been receiving chemotherapy treatments at Banner Children’s at Desert for Ewing sarcoma since November.

After months of hopeful anticipation, Gordon and his mother Elisabeth Hardy were greeted by Riley, a 9-year-old rescued dachshund mix.

Though his mother knew the dog would be coming, she didn’t tell Gordon “because we wanted him to be surprised.” “At �irst, he didn’t like the idea of a visitor coming in, he thought it’d be some adult that was boring and not for him so he hid underneath a blanket,” Elisabeth Hardy recounted. “But he heard a little jingle from Riley’s collar and he just �lew out from under that blanket and was so excited.”

This was a momentous visit for Gordon, who has been hospitalized intermittently during a time when the pandemic curtailed visits. Riley was one of his �irst non-adult companions that Gordon met during those arduous hospital stays.

“It was just him getting to have a friend in the hospital, it’s all been adults, adults, adults,” said Elisabeth. “Gordon often suggests that the one thing to make him feel better is a dog, so this visit is just wonderful.”

Riley makes an impression wherever he goes in the hospital. Several nurses were thrilled to see him and learn that pet therapy has returned after a long time without four-legged friends in the hospitals.

“It was just particularly heartwarming with Riley being the �irst dog at Banner Desert,” said Banner spokeswoman Nancy Neff. “It’s another positive sign for people that things are returning to semi-normal.”

Not only that, but that day of Riley’s �irst visit was Gordon’s secondto-last chemotherapy appointment.

And while Riley and other dogs will be there every Friday from now on for two-hour shifts, the family may not get the chance to see him again.

“We’re hopefully going into remission, so hopefully we’re there early enough next Friday to see a dog, but regardless, we’re glad that he got to end with a little bit of happiness,” Elisabeth Hardy said.

���THERAPY ���� 20

Gordon Hardy, 5, had been hospitalized since November with bone cancer and as his treatment neared the end, the youngster got a surprise visit from Riley, one of Banner Health’s many volunteer pet therapy dogs. (Courtesy Banner Health)

Downtown Mesa museums roll out new exhibits

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

Three Mesa museums have rolled out new exhibits this month.

Visitors can travel back in time to ancient Arizona to walk with dinosaurs and then go behind the scenes to develop a deeper understanding of their past at the Arizona Museum of Natural History.

Or they can explore the world of robotics through art and hands-on activities at the i.d.e.a. Museum.

And if that’s not enough, they also can stop by the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum and check out Angel Cabrales’ reimagined parallel universe in “The Uncolonized: A Vision in the Parallel” exhibition.

“Families throughout the Valley are seeking fun ways to engage and inspire their children this summer, and our museums offer a great, indoor adventure for Ornstein, director of Arts and Culture for the City of Mesa. “The visually stunning and educational exhibitions at our city museums will provide the community another reason to get out of the house and escape the heat through our cool experiences.” The Arizona Museum of Natural History exhibit looks at Arizona 75 million years ago. (Courtesy City of Mesa) The Arizona Museum of Natural History exhibit reimagines southern Arizona and northern Sonora 75 million years ago as it teaches visitors about the giant volcanoes that shaped the state and the dinosaurs that lived in their shadow.

Additionally, “Ologies!: The Science of Anthropology and Paleontology” is the museum’s �irst bilingual exhibition.

Visitors will learn more about the museum’s anthropology and paleontology research departments to discover the kinds of objects in each collection, how objects become part of the collection, and how objects help scientists study the past.

The i.d.e.a. Museum’s Robo Art exhibitions let kids of all ages explore the design, engineering and technology of robots.

They can build a 3-D bot, play coding games and learn about a variety of robots, the history of robotics and more.

Several hands-on activities and ex-

19 Mesa program helps teens aging out of foster care

BY ANNIE LAVINO Tribune Contributor

AMesa United Way program is helping teens growing out of foster families to address clothing and food needs. Founded in 2018, Foster360 partners with Mesa United Way and Helen’s Hope Chest to provide for youth aging out of foster care.

The need is particularly acute since the instability of foster care often leads to a low high school graduation rate, leading to homelessness and unemployment for many young people. As the nonpro�it Arizonans for Children notes in a recent report, “This challenging journey through foster care often results in multiple moves that further impact the child’s healthy development through family instability, emotional trauma and inconsistent care giving.” Of the more than 13,400 children and teens in Arizona who are in foster care, about 1,700 live in group homes. The Foster360 program “helps foster youth become stable when they age out as it offers them affordable housing,” said Mesa United Way President/CEO Mark Boy Scout Jacob Budd is fl anked by Rachelle Crespo and Christ Parker after he donated some supplies to the Mesa United Way Foster 360 program. (Special to the Tribune)

Young. “The youths are taught leadership that grows them into young adults.” The nonpro�it focuses on foster kids who live in group homes and have no real families. Candice Biondo, Foster360 program director, said her goal is to help foster teens develop new habits and skills to be successful in life.

“It’s a housing program that has a personal development component to help them develop skills and knowledge considering most of them have not had that opportunity from being in foster and don’t have the support system that they need,” she said.

“We help foster youth with needed habits that make them successful in life such as managing bank accounts and prioritizing expenses are important for them as they navigate through life,” Biondo said.

Added Young: “We made the pledge to serve the needs of the community in Mesa. We’ve been able to work transitional housing models, which gives them a place to live and we help them �ind jobs and education.”

Beyond helping fostered teens, Mesa United Way is also helping children in poverty. Its 12 Books Program provides books for low-income children to help them develop reading pro�iciency. The program includes books along with a virtual reading program as children learn to develop skills.

“Access to books and practices are important for children to stay successful in school, however, low-income families have little resources to provide them learning skills. Elementary children are able to choose quality books to help them build their libraries,” Young said. 

Dementia book author to speak on caregiving, parents

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

AValley woman whose book details her 14-year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease will kick off her book tour with a special presentation in Mesa.

Pam Ostrowski will share her personal story as she discusses “How to communicate with a loved one with cognitive decline” 10-11 a.m. July 10 at The Summit at Sunland Springs, 2415 S. Signal Butte Road. People can register to hear her at thesummitaz.com.

While books have been written about Alzheimer’s by doctors, nurses and even caregivers, few are written by a family member who has lived through years of

PAM OSTROWSKI

decisions, emotions, frustrations, and sadness related to the disease.

Ostrowski’s book, titled It’s Not That Simple: Helping Families Navigate the Alzheimer’s Journey, discusses how she started her journey with her parents in 2001 with little knowledge of the impact Alzheimer’s would have on their lives.

The book provides practical tips, coping tools for caring for those with Alzheimer’s, and conversation starters for those dif�icult talks you’ll have with your loved one and siblings. This knowledge allows you to anticipate and prepare for the future and reduces frustration, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

“This book will help you make the best personal, logistical, medical, and emotional decisions for you and your loved one,” Ostrowski said. “You will learn how to communicate with the person suffering through this disease, handle disagreements so they result in positive outcomes, and understand the stages and behaviors of Alzheimer’s disease.”

“This knowledge allows you to anticipate and prepare for the future and reduces frustration, burnout, and compassion fatigue,” she continued, adding that the book is “not a list of challenges, but a way to expand your heart and transform the way you treat others.

“It provides examples on how to embrace the best mindset for dealing with this long-term disease, added Ostrowski, a certi�ied senior advisor and dementia practitioner.

Information: Lori Marsh at 480-0757-

9830 Lori@thesummitaz.com 

GOT NEWS?

Noting the psychological bene�its of the pet visitation program, Neff explained, “Studies have shown that a visit from a dog or just petting a dog can calm you and lower your blood pressure as well as give you a nice distraction.”

As COVID restrictions continue to be relaxed amid decreasing cases, Neff hopes to continue rebuilding the program by getting both volunteers and their pets back into the hospital. Before the pandemic, the program boasted about 70 to 100 dogs of all manner of breeds across the Banner Health system, she said. Gordon is also looking forward to more huge milestones, as he was to be �itted with a prosthetic foot and start learning to walk again with its assistance after his battle with bone cancer. He eventually hopes to get his own service dog to help with his mobility. “The thing about the dogs is that they love it, you can just tell they, have this strut or this look, and you know they’re just so happy to be able to help people,” Neff said.  periences have returned, including the jungle-themed Black Light Room, cozy Zen Den and the Magnetic Wall, featuring balls and chutes. Plus, the HUB Gallery has added a Puppet Theater, storybook �loor game and new art activity, featuring fairytale characters. Both museums also are extending business hours this summer. Beginning July 1, the Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald, will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. Besides the new exhibit, visitors also can visit a village of the ancestral Sonoran Desert People and try gold panning. The i.d.e.a. Museum, 150 W. Pepper Place, will be open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Its creative experiences support early learning, nurture creative thinking and are meant to “engage families in quality time together throughout the museum,” a spokeswoman noted.. The museum includes ArtVille, a colorful town featuring imaginative play activities aimed at ages 4 and younger. Socks are required. The Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, 1 E. Main St., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. It is featuring works by sculptor and mixed media artist Angel Cabrales, known for his provocative social commentaries on the Latin-American experience. Also on exhibition are: “Passage,” a collaborative site-speci�ic installation of 7,000+ un�ired clay beads symbolizing lives lost on the US-Mexico border; “The Myth of the Incomplete Self” (El mito del yo incompleto); and “Docents Select: Indigenous Americas.” Find timed entries on each museum’s website. Reservations are strongly recommended during busy summer months. Tickets are also sold at the door. Admission to Arizona Museum of Natu-

“Ologies!: The Science of Anthropology and Paleontology” is the Natural History Museum’s fi rst bilingual exhibition. (Special to the Tribune) ral History is $7 for children ages 3-12 and $13 for ages 13 and up; museum members are free. At the i.d.e.a. Museum, admission is $9 for ages 1 and up. Members and babies 11 months and younger are free. Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum is free, but reservations are recommended.

Museum activities, tickets and more at arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org, ideaMuseum.org and mesaartscenter.

com/museum. 

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