Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program® is a program of the Nashville-based nonprofit organization, Gabe’s My Heart. Established in 2004 to provide education and comfort to children living with cancer through medical play using therapeutic tools, Gabe’s Chemo Duck Program has provided more than 5,000 ducks to children around the world. Our goal is to enable hospital staff, parents and caregivers to prepare children for chemotherapy treatment and eliminate the fear of the unknown. We work directly with child life departments at our affiliate hospitals to ensure children and their families obtain the full benefit of our program. Chemo Duck is a stuffed yellow duck dressed in blue hospital scrubs with a bandana around its head, a chemotherapy port on its chest and an immobilizer on his arm. In a gentle, age-appropriate manner, children learn what to expect during cancer treatment and have a friend to share the experience. In turn, children can use Chemo Duck to help friends, siblings and classmates to understand and empathize with their experience.




