A Windsor girl has started a campaign called “Color Your Worries Away” to help relieve stress for children in hospital.
When Tina Labutte-Seage was just a month old, her mom found a lump on her back. Doctors in London did several tests and around 6 months old discovered she had syrinx of the spinal cord.
"It's where like these sacks build up in your spine and I'm pretty sure is gives me a lot of pain because it pushes off muscles in me back and they have to keep an eye on it so it doesn't get bigger," says Labutte-Seage.
Her condition requires several medical appointments and tests. Colouring has always given the 11-year-old an escape from her worries while in hospital.
"Because I kind of think of what I'm doing at the moment instead of thinking about the tests that I have to do. It just makes me calm down."
Her mom Elizabeth Labutte-Seage says she is so proud of her determination and desire to help others.
"She's an inspiration, you know, the day she's in so much pain, she still makes school sports teams and she never gives up, she's a fighter," says Elizabeth Labutte-Seage.
Her mom says colouring is huge with her.
“Every time we go for an MRI, every time we have to go for a blood test. You know most kids like stickers, she likes colouring," says Elizabeth Labutte-Seage.
With the support of her family, now she hopes to help other children the same way with her campaign.
"I'm going to bring it to a hospital for the kids there so they can colour to get their mind off of what they're doing," says Tina.
Her sister Savannah came up with the name.
"It's making me really, really happy, even if I haven’t had a surgery yet," says Savannah Labutte-Seage.
The goal is to get enough donations to fill a large bin. The family plans of dropping the bin of colouring books off at Windsor Regional Hospital Met Campus. The dropoff was planned for Dec. 24, but has now been changed to Dec. 22.
Anyone interested in helping donate colouring books can reach the family through the Color Your Worries Away Facebook page.
