03. July 2017
// Articles & Reports
Delicious cocktails for more fun
The Bielefeld ‘Fruchtalarm’ (‘Fruit Alarm’) project supports young people in the cancer unit
Passion fruit, rhubarb, banana & Co. provide fun and vitamins in hospital: The “Fruity team” from the “Fruit alarm” project visits 18 children’s cancer units in Germany every week with its mobile children’s cocktail bar. Young patients can join in when the ‘Fruities’ mix fruit juices together to make delicious refreshing cocktails.
‘Fruit Alarm’ makes everyone feel happy and gives a positive boost to the children’s well-being. During chemotherapy in particular, cancer patients often suffer from poor appetite. Patients’ sense of smell and taste change and they find it hard to eat and drink the all-important food and liquids. Sometimes, these young people go completely off eating or drinking.
The fruit cocktails are a great help in this situation. The colourful sweet-acidic drinks stimulate all the senses. The fun of mixing the cocktails takes their mind off any worries or cares they may have. This makes it much easier for the children to drink enough and strengthen their bodies in the process.
The ‘Fruit Alarm’ project team has a dream: They would like to bring fun and joy to patients in all of the over 50 children’s cancer units there are in Germany. The project was initiated by a father from Bielefeld who lost his 8-year old son to an incurable cancer. Today it is important for the parents and their helpers to satisfy “the children’s needs for activity, autonomy and fun” in oncology.
‘Fruit Alarm’ is financed solely through donations. Since 2012, the ‘von Laer Stiftung’, a children’s and youth welfare foundation in Bielefeld has been providing support for the project. We at Stiegelmeyer are convinced of the idea behind this and are supporting ‘Fruit Alarm’ with a donation of 1,000 euros. If you would also like to make a donation, you will find all the information and contact details on the Internet by visiting www.fruchtalarm.info. Summer is the time for fun and laughter – let’s share our energy, high spirits and optimism with these young patients!
