“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
― Aesop

 

It has been two years since I walked through the corridors of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, a hospital dedicated to ensuring that children receive the best care possible when they enter the doors of the building. I wondered whether I would encounter the fear, anxiety, and exhaustion that the COVID-19 pandemic thrust upon us.

As I entered the passageways of the outpatient section of the hospital, a rush of emotions struck me as the voices of past and present collided. Caregivers and their children were waiting for their appointments and many of these children reminded me of patients I had met over the years. A lonely child who had undergone a kidney transplant and desperately missed her mom who was not able to be with her, a giggling toddler wrapped in dressings racing down the corridor playing hide-and-seek while a promising young photographer coaxed her to be still for just a moment so he could photograph her, or the gregarious little boy who happily introduced his teddy to everybody he met.

There are children and families who crawl into the corner of your heart and never leave. I honor each moment of hope, strength, love and resilience. The mother who regularly travelled long distances via public transport so her son could receive the treatment he needed, the mother who folded her child in love as he lay critically injured in the bed and the father who gently wrapped and held his critically ill child while waiting to hear the outcome of their appointment.

 

We exist to serve sick and injured children and their families. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that the staff have what they need to save the lives of children while families are supported through the different projects that we raise funds for. With the support of generous donors over a three-year period, we have ensured that the Emergency Centre staff now have the space, technology and equipment for children who are rushed through the hospital doors for emergency care. Together, we have also ensured that the new space is child-friendly and as comfortable as possible for anxious families.

 

 

Because you believe in our cause, we can achieve the impossible

We ask that donors continue the journey with us by helping us expand the dream of creating a safe and child-friendly space for sick and injured children. This could be through the new Therapeutic Playground, a space for physical and emotional therapy through the joy of play for children and their families. This space will also provide a moment of relief for those families who spend time travelling or waiting at the hospital. The Family Care Project operates in partnership with the hospital’s Social Work Department where vulnerable children and their families receive support in the form of toiletries, snack packs and food parcels.

The dream of children being able to access safe and child-friendly healthcare extends to the family of the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. The paediatric teams at the District and Regional Hospitals share similar values and work as a team to ensure that children receive the care they need. The Victoria Hospital in Wynberg is part of this family and needs our help. Children receive shared care from both hospitals and Victoria Hospital is in dire need of upgrading and expanding of the Paediatric Outpatient Department to ensure that the staff have space, the children feel safe, and the families are comfortable while waiting.

As we walk through the passageways of a hospital that belongs to a family who takes special care of children, we want to see a giggling child introducing his teddy bear to all who will hear him as he knows he is safe, the family is comfortable, and the staff have what they need to provide the care that he and his teddy bear need.

Thank you for believing in our cause and please continue to help us make the dream come true.