Sint-Trudo pet pavilion opens doors

Warm care

After 9 months of construction, the Sint-Trudo staff and numerous sponsors are very proud that the pet pavilion can open its doors. Cindy Monard, general director of Sint-Trudo explains, "This project fully embodies the warm care we want to stand for as Sint-Trudo Ziekenhuis. The person behind the patient and their loved ones are always central. It is therefore very nice that the idea came from our employees who heard from patients that they missed their pets, especially during long-term stays in the hospital. Our onco- and palliative team set to work and we were fortunate to be able to count on the enormous enthusiasm of Fighters Against Cancer right away. Bert Vanmechelen (Fighters against Cancer) managed to get a lot of sponsors on board. Together with some other sponsors this made it financially feasible for the hospital. We are therefore very happy and grateful that we have been able to create a modern and very homelike environment here."

Importance for patients

"Hospitalisation can have a great impact on patients on a psychological level. In addition, for many people a pet plays a central role in their lives and they are missed when they are away from home. Moreover, they also worry about the pet itself. In the past, we did what we could to give people the opportunity to meet their dog or cat in an outdoor situation, because inside the hospital rooms there are strict hygiene standards, which do not allow animals there. Now that's all going to be much easier and more pleasant, if we can organize those special moments in our pavilion," said Nele Kerkhofs, psychologist at the hospital and one of the inspirers of the project.

Special bond

Sabine Cauwenberg can agree to this. She received her diagnosis exactly two years ago and has already had to miss her pet several times for extended periods of time. "Of course my children are the ones I always missed the most during those periods, but also definitely my dog. You are so used to having him around you every day and without realizing it you get a lot of virtue from that special bond. He always senses immediately what my mood is, without me having to explain anything, and accepts it as a matter of course. It therefore gives me enormous pleasure to be able to hug him here today. I am pleased that people who will be in this situation after me will also be able to have those moments with their beloved dog or cat here."

Therapy Animals

In addition to the possibility of getting visits from your own pet, Sint-Trudo is also partnering with the non-profit organization Therapy Animals. "On doctor's orders, people will also be able to do their rehabilitation here with therapy animals. Those sessions will continue in and around our pavilion from September this year (2023)," Nele Kerkhofs clarifies.

Proud sponsor

"With Fighters Against Cancer we always look for concrete original charities where it is crucial that there is transparent communication to us what happens with the donated sums. By doing so, we also get the necessary people mobilized to donate. With this project we raised an absolute record amount of € 141 666. We are proud that we were able to help with this wonderful project that should really be immediately connected to other hospitals. Animals are often so much more pleasant than people, they don't judge. I immediately thought this was a wonderful idea," said Bert Vanmechelen, founder and chairman of Fighters Against Cancer.