Community Chatter Issue 1
Welcome to our newsletter, where we share news and updates from the Cancer Houses supported by Helping Hands Across the Sands.
Thank you to all our supporters
A big thank you from everyone staying at the Cancer Houses, to those of you who link hands and provide them with support. This week we delivered 20 tins of Milk Powder, along with diapers, a total cost of $755.00. These wonderful children and patients need this milk, to give their bodies back what is taken while enduring their chemotherapy or radiotherapy. They suffer from terrible nausea, fatigue and pain and this milk helps their bodies to rebuild where needed and supports their growth.
We also enjoyed meeting our special guests, Dave, Adrienne, Niamh, Amy and Bev who stopped by during their holiday with some special gifts. Thank you for the wonderful gifts of clothes, QV Cream, toys and the fantastic craft supplies. The children and adults will love making things with them and we will share updates on their creative endeavours in future newsletters.
Healing Through Play
We have been busy playing games with the children and adults staying at the Cancer Houses. We played Bingo, Jengo, cards and puzzle games. Bingo was fabulous and everyone in each house participated and had so much fun. Learning the numbers in Indonesian and English was educational and I think this a game that we will play often.
We also had a fun time playing a word game donated by Dave. The children loved saying the animal names in Indonesian and English, and then making the animal sounds. Everyone joined in and there was much laughter!
Meet Esa
This week we meet one of our children, Esa. He is 12 years old now and has stayed at our house the longest of anyone. Esa has Blastoma, which is essentially a tumor that arises through precurser cells that haven’t fully matured. Commonly this tumor is found mainly in children.
The Spirit of Home
Esa is from a village named Ruteng, on the island of Flores. He lived there with mum and dad and two sisters. Two years ago he came to Bali for treatment and has endured many rounds of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy. We can see his good and bad days, the nausea, the discomfort just to be able to sit up. But through his pain we get big smiles, hugs and messages daily from the mobile phone we gifted him as a wish.
Here at Helping Hands Across the Sands we have a Make a Wish. We asked Elsa what he would like, thinking he would want a helicopter ride or go to Disneyland! Nope! he wanted to make memories for his family so they will never forget him. So a mobile and data for life was gifted and now he makes voice messages, photos and talks to his sisters whenever he wants.
This is what we are here for, to make children like Esa enjoy days and family time.