United Airlines helps put cancer patients at ease

Imagine being able to improve a patient’s MRI experience through a tool designed exactly for that purpose. Thanks to the generosity of United Airlines, an MD Anderson corporate alliances partner, pediatric and adult patients are benefiting from this option.

Many cancer patients experience stress throughout their cancer journey, and procedures such as an MRI can increase anxiety. Goggles designed to play movies are an audio and visual tool that can help decrease anxiety, feelings of claustrophobia and the perception of time. Because it is important not to move during the MRI procedure, patients need some type of distraction to get them through the process.

“For children and adolescents, an MRI can be even more difficult to endure,” says Nicole Rosburg, manager of the Child Life program at MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital. “Our ultimate goal would be to decrease the need for sedating pediatric patients through the use of goggles.”

Rosburg says patients are able to choose from a huge selection of movies, and the movie plays through the goggles while the patient is in the MRI machine. The goggles are used for patients in MD Anderson’s Diagnostic Imaging clinic.

United Airlines has supported pediatric patients in other ways, such as donating custom-designed teddy bears as part of the United Adventure Bear program. In March, United Airlines joined other companies at MD Anderson’s inaugural Future Redefined Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult College and Career Fair.

This year, United Airlines selected MD Anderson as a local charity partner, providing the institution with a bank of airline tickets to support travel for cancer patients and their families.

“We are proud to partner with MD Anderson in support of their efforts to end cancer,” says Matt Barwise, manager of Community Relations at United Airlines. “It’s important to United Airlines that we support patients and their family members in their time of need by providing travel assistance.”