September is childhood cancer awareness month and Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (Choc) Eastern Cape, in collaboration with Frere Hospital’s paediatric oncology unit, started the month on a positive note.
Choc Eastern Cape regional manager Debbie Kleinenberg said they had recently arranged – and subsequently received – necessary permission to take video footage of children, their families and staff of Frere’s ward C3, singing We are One.
“This video clip will be posted on YouTube and throughout the world by Childhood Cancer International (CCI)…and Frere is acknowledged at the start of the video,” Kleinenberg said.
The video is a mixture of children singing, and nurses, doctors and Choc volunteers working. It depicts the suffering and challenges the children and parents face in the Choc- supported ward, while at the same time showing the joy of being part of a loving community.
Kleinenberg said the video was the brainchild of chief medical officer in paediatric oncology, Dr Rema Mathew, and was inspired by last year’s CCI video of wards from across the world shown to the soundtrack of We are One.
“When we saw last year’s video, Dr Mathew was so excited she wanted us to do the same. Luckily one of the moms who has a daughter admitted in the ward has a great voice, and she said ‘I’ll do it for Dr Mathew because she is my daughter’s doctor’,” Kleinenberg said.
She said the child’s uncle, who lives in Port Elizabeth came to East London and spent two weeks shooting the video, free of charge.
“It will be used in communities to show how everyone works together to fight childhood cancer,” Kleinenberg said.
To promote awareness of children’s cancer, Choc also launched the GO 4 GOLD campaign, which creates awareness by selling gold-beaded ribbons for R20.
“Worldwide, approximately 215000 cancers are diagnosed per year in those younger than 15 years and about 85000 cancers in those aged between 15 and 19 years,” Kleinenberg said. —vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za