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Sean Lybrand: Pleased to be With World Child Cancer on International Day of Play at Upside Down House UK

Sean Lybrand/LinkedIn

Jun 14, 2025, 08:43

Sean Lybrand: Pleased to be With World Child Cancer on International Day of Play at Upside Down House UK

Sean Lybrand, Executive Director at Amgen, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Today is International Day of Play!

Pleased to collaborate with World Child Cancer and to be with them on International Day of Play at Upside Down House UK™ Bristol.

As kids, we played naturally and often. When adults, for many of us, not so much. Play is a natural extension of learning, and for kids it is the way they explore the world, explore relationships between things and people, communicate with others and help build their physical and emotional skills.

Kids with cancer, especially in low-resource settings, may often be a long way from home and in hospital for extended periods. This can impact all of the things that play is good for. Their ability to mature through play can be significantly compromised through a lack of peer interaction, parental interaction, and interaction through school and their social network.

Amgen is very pleased to be supporting World Child Cancer in the implementation of a new Master of Science in Play Therapy at the University of Ghana. The program is a first in sub-Saharan Africa, and will be open to students from across the region. The aim is to build a cohort of trained professionals to help engage children in hospital in guided educational play as a therapeutic tool in paediatric care.

Our shared commitment is a direct answer to International Day of Play’s global call for action, and is a direct investment in the broader health and wellbeing of children living with cancer – to be a part of their health and development while they prepare to walk out of the ward at the end of their treatment regimen.”

International Day of Play