Wednesday 30 / October / 2024
Muscat: Ice cream cones, popcorn, arts and crafts, balloons, soap bubbles and more, brought smiles to the faces of young cancer patients children at Royal Hospital during a pre-Ramadan party held in the oncology ward on Monday.
Some 10 children from the ward were treated to a colourful gathering, which was organised by ‘I Wish’, a charity organization in Muscat, along with the Royal Hospital and W.J. Towell.
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The event was held in a playroom.
Volunteers came from the hospital staff, W.J. Towell and the ‘I Wish’ charity to assist in the celebrations.
The room was decorated with balloons, art works and colourful wallpaper. Occasionally, soap bubbles would also light up the faces of the children. Ice cream cones, drinks, popcorn and face painting were available for the children to enjoy.
There are 26 children in the ward, all of whom are being treated for cancer, and some of them are also terminally ill. All the children have their mothers living with them, except child who has his father living with him in the ward.
The ‘I Wish’ charity, which is run by Karen Van de Ruit and Puja Khimji, was started three years ago. All of their charity work involves the oncology ward at Royal Hospital.
“We wanted to do something more personal, rather than huge events, and we initially started because we wanted to grant big wishes. But most of the kids here are very much in their wards, so they have limited knowledge about the outside world. We have become the iPad ladies now- because the kids only ask for iPads, phones, PSPs and similar items,” added Khimji.
The charity has been working with the young cancer patients for three years, and over the years has built a relationship with the children and hospital staff.
“We try and hold maybe two parties every year, pre-Ramadan and Eid, and last year we also had a part on National Day, and next month we will have Nelson Mandela day here. It’s hard to enter wards, but we have built a relationship here for three years, so they trust us,” she added.
“We are like Fairy Godmothers to the children, so we come and ask them what they wish for, and two days later we return with the items and fulfill their wishes. Most of our donations come from the community, and this year, Towell has kindly agreed to partner with us for this,” added Van de Ruit.
“The staff members at the ward are trying to educate the children by showing them films and videos about the outside world, hoping that they might ‘wish’ for an experience the next time, instead of an item,” Van de Ruit added.
At the end of the party, children received goody bags filled with chocolates, balloons, colouring books and other items.
“As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility, we have different programs during the year. One type is for sustainable development, which lasts for three to eight years, and some are continuous charity programmes, like this one,” said Ali Abdul Hussain Shaban, General Manager, Systems and Resources Management at W.J. Towell.
“We signed a long term contract with the Ministry of Health three years ago to support cancer patients from low income groups who cannot afford certain types of food or equipment they need. Today, I just asked my team to provide this ward with a small theatre so they can watch movies and be entertained. With these events we will be able to understand their needs better and plan for how to provide for them next year,” he added.
