CINCINNATI -- Second lady Karen Pence visited Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Tuesday morning to learn more about its art and music therapy programs.
Pence, wife of former Indiana governor and current Vice President Mike Pence, spent time with patients who have participated in the programs and met art therapists, music therapists and members of the hospital staff.
Great visit at @CincyChildrens where they have art therapy and music therapy programs. The therapists and staff are doing great work to treat the entire family. pic.twitter.com/K7HkhgNqu9
— Karen Pence (@SecondLady) March 13, 2018
"When I first saw how this could affect children with cancer, I was just amazed," Pence said. "What I love about what you do here is that, I mean, seriously you're treating the whole family. You're going into their home if you need to. You're going into the ICU, if you need to."
Art therapy is the use of creative arts to help patients and their families cope with hospitalization and disease by allowing self-expression as well as reducing fear, anxiety or pain.
"What a great way to be able to treat a child with less money and fewer drugs, and it's, you know, I think your time has come," Pence said.
The second lady is a board member of Tracy's Kids, which uses art therapy to help young cancer patients and their families. She's been on the board since 2011, the New York Times reports.
Tracy's Kids has locations in Washington D.C., Virginia, San Antonio, New York and Baltimore. Former Cincinnati Bengal Devon Still, whose daughter Leah battled cancer, received the organization's Courage Award in 2015.
Honored to present @Bengals player @Dev_Still71 the Tracy’s Kids Courage Award. We are still #LeahStrong pic.twitter.com/886qZXOHxN
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) February 12, 2015
First lady Melania Trump also paid a recent visit to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, to learn how the opioid epidemic affects its most vulnerable victims.
