So said Mandie Erasmus, project manager of the Little Fighters Cancer Trust, who is actively running their clothing and blanket campaigns 'Get Wrapped' and 'Snug as a Bug' from 20 April until 22 May.
"The trust distributes the donations directly to each child, with the help of a group of volunteers - many of whom are mothers of children who are either now in remission or have lost their fight," said Erasmus.
"Many parents and grandparents struggle in rain and cold to get their little fighters to hospital for treatment, using public transport. We know that warm blankets and decent winter clothing makes a difference in the hospitals, but most certainly outside of hospital as well."
Wrapped in warmth
The 2014 'Get Wrapped' project saw over 2 000 new blankets delivered to children in paediatric oncology hospital wards across South Africa, wards in Places of Safety that houses children with cancer as well as the most needy of the over 100 individual childhood cancer affected families that is covered by this trust.
'Snug as a Bug' is another one of the trust's projects, born from working on ground level within paediatric oncology hospital wards, says Erasmus. "In the winter of 2013 we met a little fighter, a boy of around six years, in a hospital ward. Having thought him to be a girl as he was wearing a pair of pink corduroy pants that was too small for him, as he literally had no clothes of his own, we decided right there and then that this is an issue we have to address on a national scale. Without funds to launch such a huge project, we started this project which encourages the public and corporate communities to donate new, warm clothing for all age groups."
Wish list
The trust is in need of new children's clothing between baby and 18 years, as well as new, soft, single bed blankets. Children with cancer have virtually no immune systems, which makes them prone to infections that could be life-threatening. This is why only donations of new goods are asked.
"This makes it more difficult for us to get donations, but there is just no way we can deliver second-hand goods to a child with cancer as we cannot and will not take any chances with possible infections," said Erasmus.
The blankets and clothing are sorted by age and sex and delivered to the patients and their parents. Deliveries will start in the last week of May.
For donations in George contact Sors Grobbelaar on 082 589 1763. The drop-off point is at the Scorpions Martial Arts Academy, behind the Nedbank building, on the corner of York Street and Langenhoven Road. For general enquiries contact Mandi Erasmus on 021 863 0249 or 073 729 6155.
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