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T M C » P U L S E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 17 T M C » P U L S E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 P erched high above the buzz of the rest of the hospital, the Palliative Care Unit (PCU) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is a respite for patients who need comfort. The PCU does not cure patients, but offers optimal levels of comfort as they transition out of active can- cer treatment. Often, the next stop is hospice care. "This is a very sensitive time for folks. They are not getting the outcome they wanted," said Paul Walker, M.D., associate professor in the department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine at MD Anderson. "When people get to the PCU they can be angry, disappointed. It's dealing with a lot of emotions." To care for patients, the PCU engages an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, chaplains, social workers and Lynn Randolph— an artist who should not be mis- taken for an art therapist. Randolph's work has appeared in The Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and other gal- leries locally and nationwide. The artist spends each Tuesday work- ing with PCU patients and their families through COLLAGE: The Art for Cancer Network, a pro- gram started in 2006 by oncol- ogist Jennifer Wheler, M.D. Usually, Randolph begins her interaction with a patient by carefully entering the patient's room with her pencil and sketchbook. She introduces herself and then asks if the patient and his or her loved ones would like a drawing. "I usually ask for some history, what the patient and their family like to do or if they have an image in their mind of something that has meaning for them," Randolph explained. "Sometimes I am draw- ing with the lights off, wearing a mask and gloves. These are not pieces that would ever leave my studio. It's not my art—it is their art and they bond to it." A 'life review' Patients are referred to the PCU or the palliative care mobile team if they experience more severe symp- toms than usual—extreme pain, fatigue, anxiety, sadness, vomiting, nausea and depression—or if they have received a poor prognosis for their cancer treatment. Typically, patients stay on the PCU for five or six days. "In a sense, it is an intensive care unit ... for the management of the physical and emotional suffer- ing in the patient," said Eduardo Bruera, M.D., medical director of MD Anderson's Supportive Care Center and chair of the depart- ment of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine. "It is a concept that is quite different than the traditional concept of a hospital, because these are patients who have considerable physical and emo- tional distress. Actually, the unit is a step up in their care." Patient comfort is packed into every crevice of the 12-bed PCU. (continued) Art that Comforts Near the End An artist offers solace in MD Anderson's Palliative Care Unit B y B r i t n i R . M c A s h a n Pa l l i at i v e C a r e Artist Lynn Randolph works with patients on the Palliative Care Unit at MD Anderson Cancer Center. "Her Soul's Visit," by Lynn Randolph, is original artwork from a series about end-of-life experiences.