Art and music therapy help patient with chronic pancreatitis find joy after surgery
Avery Patterson suffered life-altering pain from chronic pancreatitis, which she was diagnosed with as a 3-year-old. Nine years later, she underwent an intensive, life-changing surgery to treat the condition.
“This disease was causing her so much pain. She was missing out on so much of life,” said her mother, Katie Patterson. “She missed friends’ birthday parties, lots of school and we couldn’t plan family vacations because we never knew how she would feel.”
As pioneers of the total pancreatectomy and islet auto-transplant (TP-IAT) surgery since 1977, we’ve helped hundreds of patients like Avery find relief from chronic pancreatitis pain. Last September, the Patterson family travelled from Texas and Avery underwent the TP-IAT procedure with our skilled team of experts, having her pancreas, gallbladder, spleen, and part of her duodenum removed. Our team then separated islet cells from her pancreas and carefully injected the cells into her liver, where they will eventually take root and produce insulin, reducing her risk of diabetes.
Avery needed to stay in the hospital for 3 weeks after surgery for monitoring and to keep her safe from infections while she healed. Avery and her mom stayed local for an additional 4 weeks while attending her post-op appointments. During her recovery, Avery had weekly sessions with both a music therapist and an art therapist during which her mom said she would “come alive.”
Board-Certified Music Therapist Greta Yates and Registered Art Therapist Bekah Huff work with patients living through complicated medical journeys to provide intentional and essential skill building, confidence, and fun outside of the mundane routine of being in the hospital.
“We try to be all we can be in that moment for the patient,” said Yates, who taught Avery how to play the ukulele. “It’s all about the process, not the product. It was an opportunity for her to learn something new when so much of her life had shifted.”
“I’ll never forget playing the song ‘Rainbow’ by Kacey Musgraves with Greta. My mom and I sang, and Greta and I both played the ukulele,” said Avery. “It was so sweet!”
While Avery found she had a natural gift for music, she also stretched her creative muscles during art therapy with Bekah Huff, who creates a safe environment for patients to express their emotions beyond words.
“My job is really focused on mental health,” said Huff. “These patients are essentially going through medical trauma. I’m there to give them an outlet around the trauma, the depression, and the stress. Most importantly, it’s about bringing joy.”
“Art therapy gave me something to look forward to and Bekah always brought in something different where I could be creative and have fun,” said Avery. “The first day she came by, I drew a picture of her, and she drew one of me and we gave them to each other.”
Avery and her mom are now back home in Texas, where Avery returned to her first semester of in-person school since her surgery.
“The change has been amazing. She’s doing so well,” said Katie.
Despite all she went through, Avery has walked away from her therapy sessions with skills she can carry with her for the rest of her life.
“She lost her pancreas, but she gained a lot more in life,” said Yates.
Our music and art therapy programs are supported by the many philanthropic donors who help make these critical therapies possible. Gifts to support the Art Therapy or Music Therapy programs can be made directly to the University of Minnesota Foundation. If you are interested in learning more about giving options, contact Jen Foss at foss@umn.edu for more information.
