Living with a Sibling Who Is Ill

Since 2004, Eloah Rocha has served as a counselor at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, where she leads activities for the siblings of hospitalized children. Eloah Rocha has participated in a number of studies that examine how children of different ages cope with having a sibling who is seriously ill.

Thus far, when researchers have attempted to understand the experiences of children whose siblings are very sick, they have usually asked parents how their healthy offspring were feeling. Recently, however, a group of scientists from the UK’s Lancaster University evaluated 12 smaller studies in which children had been asked about their own experiences.

The study team found that when healthy children are involved in helping the family through the struggle of an ill child, whether that means helping with household chores or helping to care for the sick sibling, they tend to feel more closely connected to their families.

However, when parents separate their non-ill children from the experience, often in an attempt to shield them, they are less likely to talk to their parents about what they are feeling. These children are also less apt to disclose any other struggles that they are facing, possibly so that they will not upset their parents.

These findings support the belief that when a child is chronically ill, the care plan should include support for other children in the family, as well as for the parents. The information may be particularly useful to child life specialists, who can use it to help parents understand how to meet the needs of all of their children during the illness of one.

Big Cypress National Preserve Showcases Richness of the Everglades

A counselor at Los Angeles Children's Hospital, Eloah Rocha serves children in the hospital's youth activity center, where she has undertaken numerous studies on interaction between patients and siblings of hospitalized children, as well as offered family remedial therapy. When not working, Eloah Rocha has enjoyed taking time off to visit locations such as the Florida Everglades.

Visitors to the Florida Everglades have a wealth of opportunities for exploring the area's spectacular natural offerings, including visiting Big Cypress National Preserve. With more than 720,000 acres, this park provides a close look at the alligators that rule the region’s swamps and line the banks of the canal along the 25-mile loop road traveling through the park.

In addition to its alligator population, Big Cypress National Preserve provides habitat for other wildlife from egrets and herons to the endangered Florida panther. The park encompasses five habitats all connected by the water flowing through the region and ending in the Atlantic Ocean.

Visitors can participate in programs led by National Park Service staff, or explore on their own. Other options include camping at sites through the preserve.

New Study Suggests Vitamin D Could Decrease Breast Cancer Risk

The recipient of a bachelor's degree in child psychology from Boulder University, Eloah Rocha has worked as a youth counselor with the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital since 2004. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Eloah Rocha often helps organize breast cancer fund-raising events.

A recent study published in the medical journal PLoS One led by Creighton University nursing professor Joan Lappe suggests that high levels of vitamin D might contribute to a reduction in breast cancer risk for women. Researchers involved studied data from more than 5,000 women older than 55 and noticed that those who had at least 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) of vitamin D in their blood were at an 80 percent lower risk for breast cancer than women with 20 ng/mL or less. While the study doesn't prove increased vitamin D levels prevent breast cancer, Lappe stressed that it provides support for vitamin D as a vital beneficial health measure.

Eating well and living a healthy lifestyle can also decrease risk factors, but the study, as well as others, has highlighted the value of a high vitamin D level. If you're concerned about taking in too much sunlight, supplement your vitamin D intake through tablets and capsules. The Vitamin D Council suggests adults should maintain a daily intake of 5,000 IUs of vitamin D per day.

Women’s Health - Breast Cancer in the United States

Eloah Rocha currently works as a counselor with the Los Angeles Children's Hospital.

As counselor to families and their children, Eloah Rocha manages the Youth Activity Center at a Los Angeles-based children's hospital. In addition to her commitment to young people’s mental health, Eloah Rocha volunteers with breast cancer awareness charitable events.

According to the most current data, in 2016, more than 246,000 new breast cancers will appear in women throughout the United States. Of those patients, over 40,000 will ultimately succumb to the disease. Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer among the leading causes of death for American women. However, mortality rates from breast cancer have been declining for 28 years thanks to advances in early diagnosis and treatment.

In fact, if doctors detect the disease before it can spread, or metastasize, to tissues outside the breast, the likelihood of survival over a five-year period stands at roughly 98 percent. In those cases where the cancer has metastasized to surrounding tissues like the lymph nodes, five-year survival drops to roughly 84 percent.

Even with state-of-the-art modern care, less than one-quarter of patients with breast cancer that has progressed to other organs survive for five years after diagnosis.

Emotional Responses in Siblings of Hospitalized Children

Eloah Rocha – Promoting Child Well-Being

As a counselor at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital, Eloah Rocha leads an activity center designed for siblings of hospitalized children. Eloah Rocha has also participated in a number of studies that assess the behaviors and emotional responses of children with ill brothers or sisters.

The hospitalization of a child affects not only himself or herself and parents but siblings as well. Siblings of hospitalized children are likely to feel worried or scared, both on behalf of the sick sibling and in regard to their own and the family's well-being. Very young children may experience anxiety if the hospitalization leads to separation from parents or disruption in routine, while older children might fear catching the illness or worry that the sibling will die.

Well children can also feel jealousy and resentment when it appears that the ill child is receiving all of the parents' attention. It is important for the parents to spend time with the well child or children and to take the time to explain the sibling's illness in age-appropriate terms. Parents can also help well children to feel involved by taking them on visits to the hospital, and by preparing the children for what they might see and hear on the visit.

It is likewise important for parents to understand that the well child may feel angry at the sibling for becoming ill. Some children might also be angry at their parents, whom they perceive as having the ability to prevent harm from coming to the sibling. Younger children can even feel anger directed toward themselves, as the magical thinking of early childhood can convince them that they could have done something to prevent the illness.

How Healthy Children Are Affected by a Seriously Ill Sibling

Eloah Rocha | Counselor at Los Angeles Childrens Hospital

Eloah Rocha has been working as a child counselor for several years. Holding a bachelor’s degree in child psychology from Boulder University, she oversees the youth activity center as a counselor at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Since starting this position over a decade ago, Eloah Rocha has completed several studies on how children cope with having a sick sibling.

Having a sick child in the family is draining on both the parents, healthy siblings, and other family members who are closely involved. Healthy children react to a sick sibling in a number of ways. Some may begin acting out in various settings while others strive to be perfect and strong for their family. Still others may react in both ways. Many healthy siblings of sick children exhibit changes in sleep patterns, appetite, and performance in school. They often struggle with expressing their emotions and the inability to express what they need frequently fuels their new behavior.

Similar to their parents, healthy siblings of sick children feel several emotions and have a variety of thoughts. Many worry that their sibling will die or that they somehow caused the disease that made their brother or sister sick. Additionally, they often are fearful that other members of their family will also become sick. Some of the most common emotions experienced by healthy siblings are guilt and anger. Children may be angry that their parents spend so much time with their sibling or their sibling no longer has to do chores. They also often feel guilty about being healthy or about feeling anger towards their sibling.

Emotional Responses in Siblings of Sick Children

With a background in psychology and counseling, Eloah Rocha has a passion for helping others.

An experienced youth counselor, Eloah Rocha has worked at Los Angeles Children's Hospital since 2004. There, Eloah Rocha develops and oversees activities for children whose siblings are receiving care there.

When a child is seriously ill, the changes in family dynamics can have a serious impact on the child's siblings. Many children with an ill brother or sister feel intense anxiety and fear about a variety of issues, including whether the sibling is likely to die and what impact the illness might have on family structure. Children, particularly younger ones, may also worry about whether they or other members of the family might catch the sibling's illness. It is common for children to keep their worries hidden, often for fear of adding to family stress, so it is crucial for parents to encourage sharing whenever possible.

In addition to fear, children might be feeling anger, resentment, or jealousy resulting from the attention that the sick sibling is receiving. It is also common for a child to resent a sibling who no longer has to go to school or help out around the house. These emotions often lead to high levels of guilt in the healthy sibling, who might at the same time be feeling badly for having fought with the sick sibling in the past. This complicated network of emotions frequently intertwines with sadness and nostalgia for the normal family life lost and for the former health of the sick brother or sister.

Tips on How to Help Siblings of Seriously Ill Children

Eloah Rocha Aids Child Psychology Research in Los Angeles

An alumnus of Boulder University, Eloah Rocha joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a counselor more than a decade ago. Tasked with creating daily activities for children, Eloah Rocha also conducts studies that analyze how children respond to and cope with a sibling’s serious illness.

Parents of a child diagnosed with a chronic illness dedicate much of their time and effort to ensure their ailing daughter or son receives proper medication, treatment, and attention. This, however, often causes added stress for siblings, who may feel a sense of neglect and emotional distress. Signs that a sibling suffers from these feelings include being withdrawn or anxious, lacking interest in socializing and participating in activities with friends, as well as rebellion, depression, and a decline in academic performance.

To provide equal care for their children, parents should continually reevaluate how they are dividing their time and focus. Parents must strive to build individualized relationships with each child and avoid creating unfair expectations. Additionally, they should keep their healthy children informed of their sibling’s health condition, listen to their concerns, and answer questions that arise. This keeps children involved and helps build an understanding of the current situation, which alleviates the possibility of resentment.

Components and Short History of the Triathlon

Eloah Rocha, Los Angeles Children's Hospital Youth Counselor

After earning her bachelor of science in child psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder, Eloah Rocha joined the staff of the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, where she supervises the youth activity center created by the hospital for the siblings of children undergoing treatment there. When not involved with her professional responsibilities, Eloah Rocha keeps fit by bicycling, long-distance running, and swimming.

Eloah Rocha’s three sports are the basis of the triathlon, a multisport endurance event in which athletes run, swim, and bicycle over various distances. The three legs of the triathlon are run in immediate succession, with no rest period between legs. There are four primary triathlon distances:

1. Sprint: 0.5-mile swim, 12.4-mile bike ride, and 3.1-mile run
2. Olympic: 0.93-mile swim, 24.6-mile bike ride, and 6.2-mile run
3. Long Course: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run (this is often called a half-triathlon)
4. Full or Ultra: 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run (this is often called an Ironman triathlon, especially when the swim leg is held in the ocean)

The first modern triathlon in the United States was held in 1974 in San Diego, although it was run on a significantly shorter course than the four modern standards. The first Ironman triathlon was held in Hawaii in 1978; the invitation from the event’s founder, U.S. Navy Commander John Collins, read simply, “Swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles -- BRAG FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.”

Triathlons of all distances have become enormously popular in the United States. In 2015, more than two dozen triathlons are scheduled for various venues in the Los Angeles area alone and hundreds more nationwide. More information about the triathlon can be found at www.totaltriathlon.com.

Myths about Long-Distance Running

Eloah Rocha pursues a career in child psychology and counseling.

Eloah Rocha serves as a counselor at the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, where she manages the youth activity center for the siblings of patients. Eloah Rocha attended Boulder University and majored in child psychology. In her free time, she enjoys staying active by practicing yoga and running long distances.

Long-distance running has many opponents, many of whom cite misleading claims about the damage it can do to the body. Read ahead to learn about some of the common myths about long-distance running:

1. Running decreases muscle mass. Many people believe that running breaks down muscle as fuel, eliminating muscle mass. While this could happen, it would be an extremely unique case in which a runner eats no protein while running many miles. Some runners find they do not increase their muscle mass through running alone, but they can supplement with strength training.

2. Running is easy. Critics claim anyone can put on a pair of shoes and go for a run. As with any sport or activity, running is a skill that requires proper form and equipment and that needs to be developed slowly over time.

3. Running does not help with weight loss. Numerous studies show that running is an efficient way to burn calories. Aerobic activities do more to burn the visceral fat and liver fat than resistance training. Finally, longer runs teach the body to burn fat more efficiently.