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January 1, 2007
Before children walk into The Wellness Center in Westlake Village, California, they often feel frustration as forgotten victims of cancer that is claiming, or has claimed, their parent’s life. Inside, these children experience support, acknowledgement, and sometimes an irresistible dwarf therapy hamster named Blain.
Blain’s chauffer is cancer survivor, Bob Ferber. “I used to get kidded a lot about the creatures I rescued,” says Bob, who is also Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney, Animal Cruelty Task Force. ”The first time I brought in a therapy hamster it was sort of a joke.” Then Bob’s hamster worked his magic and the kids whose hearts had been broken by loss started to feel happy again. Blain is now the youngest therapy hamster. While a visit with Blain doesn’t take away children’s pain, it gives the kids an emotional break and helps them feel good again. “I thought of going to children’s hospitals or similar places, but there were already animal therapy services available to those organizations,” says Bob. Children in families dealing with cancer are often told to ‘go outside and play’ when people are too busy to help them process what is going on. These kids also experience isolation at school. Bob chose this community of kids because “I wanted to help them get in touch with tools to deal with life challenges.” On any given week, Bob brings Blain and other unlikely heroes to The Wellness Center, including a three legged dog, another blind hamster, and a blind dog. They all help children make it through their immediate challenges and build skills to last a lifetime. The end result? Bob says, “These kids will keep these stories for decades and it will affect they way they treat others.”
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