Funding outcome

More children with serious diseases are surviving and going home with a breathing tube in their neck (a tracheostomy). While this procedure can save a child's life, living with a tracheostomy brings major changes for the entire family. Often forgotten about are the experiences of the siblings of children with a tracheostomy who must also get used to their new reality. This qualitative study asks these siblings directly about their lived experiences and explores how they cope and stay hopeful as family life changes after their sibling comes home from the hospital. A minimum of 10 siblings (ages 5-18) of a child that has a tracheostomy at the Stollery Children's Hospital will be contacted through an existing parent-advisory group as well as through the Stollery's tracheostomy clinic and invited to participate in 2 one-on-one conversations. A physical 'bento box' activity will be used to talk about hope in an age-appropriate way. The researcher will do an initial one-on-one interview to explore the siblings' own experiences and to discuss what hope is and what it means to them. After the initial interview, the researcher will support participants through the creation of their own bento box with visuals and other representations that help them feel hopeful. This second meeting will finish with a one-on-one interview of how each hopeful item fits into the participants' hope bento box. The parents and children will have the option to choose between online or in-person interviews/activities, the online option was created to reach siblings living in rural Alberta. These interviews will be recorded and the key themes from the discussions will be noted. This study is a part of a larger research project that will help guide the creation of future psychological support for the siblings of children going home with a tracheostomy.