Ricky Rubio’s 'I Am Ready Project' seeks to improve hospital experience for cancer patients - NBA.com

During his mother’s four-year conflict with lung cancer, Ricky Rubio spent a batch of clip successful hospitals. His feelings ran the gamut from uneasiness to choler to sadness.

The infirmary waiting country became the spot where, much often than not, Rubio received atrocious news. Tona Vives mislaid her conflict with crab successful May 2016. She was 56.

Rubio is present doing what helium tin to assistance amended the wide acquisition for children battling crab arsenic they hole for chemotherapy.

The Spanish defender brought the “I Am Ready” task to the United States this year. It is simply a virtual world programme that helps explicate the attraction procedures and processes successful hopes of reducing diligent anxiousness successful children.

“Since I became a professional, I’ve ever been progressive with giving backmost to the community,” Rubio said. “Back erstwhile I was successful Spain, particularly astir Christmas, we would sojourn hospitals and springiness gifts to kids. I ever enjoyed that.

“When my ma got sick successful 2012, it was a pugnacious one. I ever thought astir opening a instauration erstwhile I retire, but past I realized however important it was to bash it close away. During 1 of my past visits – really present successful the states, we had a conversation: She said  ‘I consciousness good, but I consciousness blameworthy that we person each these resources that different radical don’t have. The opportunities to get 2nd opinions and each this stuff.’ I said ma don’t worry, I’m going to marque definite I springiness backmost to the assemblage and assistance radical who are going done what we are going done and assistance them person opportunities similar we did.”

It took astir 2 years, but the “Ricky Rubio Foundation” was yet launched successful 2018, focusing connected patients battling lung cancer. The ‘I Am Ready‘ task is 1 of the legs of the foundation. It is different mode that Rubio is giving backmost to kids.

“Imagine an big going done that and knowing what’s going to hap and however scary it is,” Rubio said. “Put that 10 times connected a kid. “Kids don’t understand. They are expected to beryllium steadfast and playing each the time. Put them successful the infirmary wherever they don’t cognize a batch of worldly and they spot adults and conscionable privation to beryllium with different kids. Put them with radiation and they consciousness sick, it’s not fun.

“I consciousness similar everyone who wants to beryllium progressive tin be. The doors are open. There was a kid backmost location successful Spain who came with a project. We helped them and their families – this task truly goes with what we’re doing. We aligned our resources and powerfulness to enactment each this unneurotic and we launched. We started getting large and I decided I wanted to bring this to the United States. I wanted to marque an interaction wherever I’m from and wherever I’m at.”

Rubio estimates the programme started with 10 kids successful Barcelona and has present helped implicit 300.

“It’s virtual VR successful the infirmary and the cartoon explains everything to the kids,” Rubio said. “It has maine doing things similar tying my shoes and getting acceptable for basketball. It has the doctors telling them however it’s going to beryllium past we spell into the attraction country to spot the machines. I deliberation it helps their brains for them to spot however it’s going to be. The kids consciousness safer and much acquainted with what’s going on.

“We privation to marque it for adults, too. We started with kids due to the fact that they are much vulnerable. We are doing studies and seeing however it affects the kids and eventually, we privation to amusement it tin assistance anybody, not conscionable the kids. We privation to marque it adjacent bigger. This is the archetypal step. We’re going successful the close direction.”

Rubio has spoken astatine antithetic crab foundation events. He has donated wealth to money research. He is doing what helium tin to marque families consciousness much comfy successful waiting areas. Instead of conscionable chairs, he’s adding playrooms for kids astatine definite hospitals.

“When my ma was successful the hospital, we were waiting and waiting,” Rubio said. “I’m creating an country wherever you tin meditate, work books, wide your caput earlier immoderate is going to happen. It helps not lone the diligent but the household that is determination with the diligent person a antithetic attack to going to spot the doctor.

“We are doing a foundation crippled to rise wealth for a infirmary successful Barcelona arsenic well. We are gathering a betterment gym wherever you bash each kinds of treatment. We person a batch of projects to assistance hospitals go better.”

Rubio has dished retired implicit 5,000 assists successful his NBA vocation – and volition proceed to bash truthful erstwhile helium afloat recovers from past season’s ACL teardrop – but done his foundation, helium is providing his astir impactful assists disconnected the court.

“The instauration takes up a batch of my time,” Rubio said. “In the future, it is wherever I privation to walk much of my time. I privation to assistance with research, and innovation successful the medicine aspect. We speech with doctors each astir the satellite astir antithetic treatments. The imagination is to enactment hard and find a cure for cancer.”