At Digging Deep, we understand like so many of you that “healing” requires more than just making the body better. It requires that young people sift through their emotional experience to uncover a way of incorporating the trauma of illness into their lives.
Some young patients are lucky enough to be able to do this with their parents or siblings, with a counselor, or even alone. But many find themselves stuck during or after their medical challenges, unable to get back to the person they were and unable to move forward toward the person they could become.
At Digging Deep, we appreciate that this is a difficult process, one that requires courage and hard work. That is why we are so proud of our journal, Digging Deep, that helps young people look inside the experience of illness or disability—and just sit with it—to allow those feelings to come.
But for the past few years, we’ve been wondering if there’s something else – something more – that we could do.
This year, we have the answer. Digging Deep is overjoyed and humbled to announce that we will be releasing a digital game to help young people who deal with severe health challenges progress through their emotional journey of healing.
The quest in the game is to restore a lifeless city through a journey of self-discovery, insight, and self-expression. The player must master the stages of Disruption, Disillusionment, and Discovery to unlock key wisdoms and add vibrancy, life, and wisdom to a barren city.
The trauma of illness in childhood or adolescence is often a big and dark world that can be debilitating and isolating. Through intriguing game play which includes self-reflection, writing, and art-making, players realize that they needn’t stay in their dark world—they have the power to reshape their world into whatever they choose.
There can be light. There can be color. There can be hope. And, there can be a community. Game launch October, 2017—stand by!
Sheri Sobrato Brisson is a brain tumor survivor who discovered the importance of self-reflection during her recovery. From her personal illness experience and a dozen years supporting families and children with serious illness, her life’s philanthropic mission is to empower families and children facing serious illness. She has started and facilitated support groups for children with illness and their families for over twenty years with organizations such as the American Cancer Society, National Brain Tumor Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and Packard Children’s Hospital. She has served as Board Member for many children’s health nonprofit organizations including American Cancer Society San Jose, UCSF/Mt. Zion Auxiliary, Creighton Health Institute, and Okizu Foundation. Brisson received her master’s degree in counseling from Santa Clara University and her undergraduate degree in human biology from Stanford University.
Read more about Sheri at https://diggingdeep.org