Last night I had the pleasure of serving dinner to a whole heap of very sick kids and their families at Ronald McDonald House in Randwick Sydney. These houses are set up all around the world to basically provide a ‘home away from home’ for the families of very sick kids who have to travel from regional/rural areas to get treatment for cancer/terminal illnesses in the big smoke. We went to serve dinner to these sick kids and their families. It was truly inspiring and touching. I now truly believe in the ‘power of kids’. I met 3 amazing kids all with different cancers and all under 13 years of age. I was lucky enough to spend 3o mins talking to 13yr old Katesha who has had recurring brain tumours since she was 4. She is now about to have her 6th major brain surgery and 15th chemo treatment. She had the most amazing spirit and never once complained about her situation. She shared stories about how important her friends were and the fact that she loves getting well wishes via email and Facebook messages/pics from her friends back in Darwin. I was truly touched by her willingness to share her story with a complete stranger and tell me how lonely she sometimes gets when she is away from home staring down the barrel of another round of chemo whilst all her 13yr old buddies are playing and being normal teens. Really made me appreciate the importance of positivity and the role friends play in keeping your spirits up. There should be a social networking tool that brings these sick kids closer to our consciousness, as they love messages of support, even from total strangers. Katesha and the other kids we met are HEROES in my eyes. Also, the courage of the parents who have to stay brave and strong whilst seeing their beloved kids going through so much pain. Katesha’s father David love for his daughter was immense, and he told me how he had slept in his car outside hospitals in the carpark whilst Katesha was undergoing treatment in the early days. Another girl we met, Chelsea who has leukamia did an amazing dance for us and the fact she manages to keep a smile on her face in such adversity is amazing, she doesnt worry that she is losing her hair. She wants to audition for ‘So you think you can dance’ one day, she’ll get there I’m sure. An amazing night for me, one I’ll always remember and which confirmed the power of the human spirit in overcoming such adversity.
Me (right) with the amazing 13yr old Katesha who is on her 5th brain tumour op, her Dad and Di
Dan Pankraz Vs Youth 