I was just sitting here thinking, because thanks to Eishkom I could not work online…..
My thoughts turned to our Swim for Hope that will be taking place in the next few weeks and for the first time I really THOUGHT about what these brave individuals are prepared to do, all in the name of Childhood Cancer Awareness…
Firstly they train for weeks if not months to ensure that they are fit enough;
From the middle of March they go on standby (putting their own agendas/work etc aside), waiting for the weather conditions to be just right for the swim;
On the day of the swim they get up at the crack of dawn if not earlier and drag themselves down to Cape Point where they must again wait for the perfect conditions;
When conditions are just right, they climb into the icy cold water that is between 12.5 and 16 degrees Celsius, which for those who don’t know, IS COLD!!!!
They then take on the Cape Point rounding, which is widely regarded as one of the most extreme open water swims in the world, and battle the icy cold waters, sharks, tides, weather conditions and bluebottles as they swim around Cape Point to raise Childhood Cancer Awareness and Funds for Little Fighters Cancer Trust.
The spectacular and extreme 8km ocean swim stretches from Diaz Beach on the western side of Cape Point, to Buffels Bay on the Eastern side, and takes swimmers through the point where the two oceans (Atlantic and Indian) meet.
Remember also that Swim for Hope is carried out in accordance with Open Water and English Channel swimming rules: only a single swimsuit (no wetsuit), cap and goggles may be worn, and swimmers have to start and end on land without ever making physical contact with any members of the support crew or the boat.
Swimmers will go on standby on 15 March 2015 and the swim will called 24 hours prior to the first suitable day.
These selfless individuals do all of this to raise Childhood Cancer Awareness and Funds for people they don’t even know and most probably never will. THESE are MY HEROES!!!
I think that is worth a R20 donation, don’t you?
Let’s just put things in perspective here:
What can one buy for R20 in South Africa these days?
- A cup of filter coffee
- A packet of crisps
- An ice cream
- A litre of cooldrink
- A packet of 10 cigarettes
- A chocolate
Not much else that I can think of…
I am prepared to go without ONE cup of coffee (which if anyone knows me is a great sacrifice as I am a coffeeholic) in order to donate my R20 towards such a great cause ~ how about you?
Now let’s look at the other side of the coin; where does this money go?
All moneys raised will go towards the Little Fighters Cancer Trust’s BAGS OF HOPE Project.
Once a Child is diagnosed with Cancer, one parent has to leave his/ her employment, as it is a 24 hour a day labour of love to take care of a Child with cancer. More often than not, it is the Mother who leaves her employment, and, depending on the diagnosis and treatment plan, these Mothers are often in the hospital ward for months or years on end. As the Family Unit has lost up to, in certain cases, 70% of their income, there is a desperate lack of support from home.
This results in Children with Cancer in Hospital Wards not having pyjamas that fit, no comfort items like a soft toy and a warm blanket, no educational toys, no treats and no activities to enjoy when feeling well enough.
Mothers, for the most part, do not have accommodation, and literally live in the Ward; eating, sleeping upright in a chair and bathing in the ward wash basins. They have no sanitary products, a desperate lack of food and toiletries, and have no funds available to them to purchase even the most basic necessities.
These Children with Cancer and their Mothers are forgotten by the World, and the main aim of the LFCT Bag of Hope Project, is to restore Dignity and inspire Hope.
BAG OF HOPE delivery to the Patients and Bedside Care-givers at Bloemfontein Universitas Hospital’s Pediatric Oncology Ward 23/10/2014
A bag of hope provides essentials for both the Child with Cancer and his/her mother or bedside care-giver, with items such as:
- Toiletries;
- Pyjamas;
- Non-perishable food;
- Educational toys;
- Soft toys;
- Blankets; and
- Sanitary products
A bag of Hope makes a challenging and prolonged hospital stay just a bit more comfortable. (Please see our BAGS OF HOPE Project Page for more info)
LFCT is operational in 11 main Paediatric Oncology Treatment Centres throughout South Africa, including the Western Cape, Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Free State.
Well, that is enough to make me give up a chocolate bar too….
Please make the efforts of those taking part in the Swim for Hope 2015 worth it by donating to this great cause.
We have just received the news that Mr Ramzi Mansour, a loyal patron of the Little Fighters Cancer Trust for a few years already and who “topped up” our Swim for Hope 2014 fundraising effort with R32 000.00 as an admirer of Carina’s, will match every Rand, up to R100 000.00, which we can raise up to the moment our Swimmers hit the water with Swim for Hope 2015.
Come on Folks, this means that we only have about two weeks in which to get in as much funding as possible.
JUST THINK!!! If we can raise R100 000 before the swimmers actually do the swim, Mr Mansour will meet that amount with R100 000 of his own. DO YOU KNOW what LFCT can DO with R200 000????
Please donate R20 by SMSing “SWIM” to 40770 or donate the amount of your choice on Back-a-buddy
