Cooper Anderson Cooper

Siobhan McAndrew: Distraction from chemo for Cooper

12:50 PM, Jan. 16, 2012

Written by Siobhan McAndrew

Cooper Anderson of Reno does not want to be Anderson Cooper, even if it is hospital policy.

Cooper, 7, is a first-grader at Brown Elementary School, not the dashing, silver-haired TV journalist with a show, 1,953,032 Twitter followers and interview access to celebrities and politicians.

Cooper has spent the last two years fighting leukemia. He lost his hair. Was sick. Missed school. Was too weak to play baseball. But he's better and in remission. His hair grew back and he is getting through three years of maintenance chemotherapy.

On Tuesday, Cooper looked at his hospital wrist band as he waited for his monthly treatment in the specialty health clinic on the fifth floor of Renown Regional Medical Center.

"It shouldn't say Anderson Cooper because I'm Cooper Anderson," he said.

To a kid, it's the little things that matter like your first name goes first, even if the hospital always puts last name, first name.

When Cooper was first diagnosed, he cried during every treatment.

But he's gotten tougher and braver, and this time chemotherapy was a little easier because of the Vecta Distraction Station, a multisensory device that distracts children from painful treatments, calms after traumatic injury or sooths after abuse. Cooper was the first child to try the 5-foot robot-like device that projects colorful images, makes bubbles from a hurricane tank filled with water and plastic fish, has an aromatherapy diffuser and can calm and delight with dozens of fiber optic cables that change colors.

It's another tool in the bag of tricks, according to Angie McEvers, a child life specialist who uses toys, cards and magic wands when a child is getting a shot, IV, in pain, agitated, upset and hurt.

The $6,500 Vecta, infant resuscitators and a neonatal transport unit were purchased from money raised at Renown Foundation's Magic Gala, an annual fundraiser.

Money raised fills in gaps in the health care system.

From now until Nov. 6 we are going to hear a lot about health care. We will be bombarded with ads calling Obamacare irresponsible and the Republican fix ludicrous. For most of us, it will be an annoying distraction.

During the last presidential election, $2.8 billion was spent on political advertising while Cooper had to wait for a fundraiser for a distraction from chemotherapy.

Television's Anderson Cooper should ask politicians how they feel about that.