The non-profit association We can be heroes, created in Valladolid last October, presents the patent of a mold for ice specifically designed to be used by breast cancer patients having chemotherapy treatment. One of the main purposes of the association is to improve their quality of live and because of that, they have designed a novel prototype to avoid one of the secondary effects of the chemotherapy, the mucositis.
Mucositis is an inflammation in the oral and throat mucosa that generates ulcers and sores and is produced in up to a 40% of people receiving chemotherapy. So far, hospitals offer a basic way of controlling mucositis: sucking on ice cubes or flavored popsicles during a chemotherapy session. The mold, patented by the association We can be heroes, resolves on the one hand the awkwardness of the traditional ice cube, which doesn’t have a holder and, on the other hand, avoids having flavoured popsicles, which normally are hard to digest for patients.
The invention consists of a mold, suitable for freezers, which allows the creation of spheric pieces of ice adapted to the internal shape of the mouth and which also contains a stick to be more user-friendly. This project has been developed on the basis of the personal experience from Ana, the 29 years old President of We can be heroes who has already overcome a breast cancer experience, with the collaboration of the research group BISITE from the University of Salamanca, which is directed by the Vice Chancellor of Research and Technology Transfer, Juan Manuel Corchado.
A kit for the heroines
The spherical lollipop will be included with the ‘Kit We Can’, which the association wants to donate to the hospitals in Valladolid and, which will also include a headscarf specifically designed by Esther Noriega, a designer from Valladolid who has just done the catwalk at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid. The kit also contains a blanket for the patients to feel more comfortable during the chemotherapy sessions, a fan to fight against flushing sensations and a Heroine carnet to transmit strength and vitality. The association will also facilitate to the hospitals a survey for any patient to make suggestions or requests.