“Sally” is a private fifteen year-old who had temporarily moved to Seattle and was attending the Fred Hutchinson’s Cancer Research Center’s “Hutch School” in Seattle while her mother was undergoing a stem cell transplant for leukemia.

The weekly high school group at the Hutch included teens affected by the disease and was based on the Chill & Spill journal. Sally was quiet for many of the sessions, but when she finished the “Inside of Me” activity, she quietly volunteered to share her entry with the group.

Sally opened up to the group, sharing that she was experiencing feelings of loss, fear, anger and hopelessness. Her honestly sparked a conversation amongst her peers that helped her realize that her feelings were shared by many others in the group,  and helped other students express their fears and hopes as well. The group leader told us that she had been excited to be witness to the amount of trust and community that the Chill & Spill book helped facilitate in a relatively short time.

Laurie was a new resident at  a lock down facility for youth in Louisiana who refused to talk to anyone. Her case manager, Crystal, offered her a Chill & Spill book, hoping it would help Laurie express her feelings. Crystal offered to keep the book safe from the other residents by locking it in a drawer in her office.

Laurie came back day after day to work on her Chill & Spill in the safety of Crystal’s office. As Crystal worked led her slowly through the book, the “Exclusive Interview” activity captured Laurie’s imagination and she worked on it for quite a long time, having a difficult time answering even the simplest questions, such as “What are your talents and strengths?”.

“She had always been told that she was a trouble maker, that she was ‘good for nothing.’  The book — and this activity in particular — asked her questions about her strengths and talents, which made her realize that she did have something to offer…”

Crystal is happy to report that this experience became a catalyst for change in Laurie’s life, who became more outgoing and began participating in group activities – something she refused to do beforehand. She even decided on a life goal as a direct result of the book: she decided she wants to be a pediatrician so she can help kids.