As we find ourselves in Lockdown 3.0, I wonder if, like me, you’re thinking back to last March and Lockdown 1.0, when the whole concept was very new and very daunting. It’s still just as daunting of course, and we’re all doing our very best to stay at home to keep everyone safe (not too hard in this typical January weather!), but I wondered if your thoughts are different now compared with 10 months ago.
In March 2020 and coming out of lockdown, it seems lots of you were thinking about what is really important to you. Family and friends, along with health were mentioned time and again. Now that we’re more used to the idea of dealing with lockdown, even if we don’t like it, do you find yourself reminding yourself of your priorities again?
For all our Super brave children and young people dealing with cancer, lockdown is yet another layer to add to their priorities. When I speak to parents, they tell me that treatment, checks, scans, blood tests are still top of their priority list for sure, but they’re all searching for ways to create happiness too, for their precious people. Dealing with disappointments such as no school, meet-ups with friends, or trips out is hard enough when you’re a healthy youngster, never mind when you’re contending with the challenges of treatment for cancer, so during a lockdown, you have to work even harder to find the good stuff.
I’d like to thank everyone who has continued to prioritise children and young people with cancer throughout these grim lockdowns. To the NHS staff who make sure this vital treatment is continued; to our wonderful partners at CLIC Sargent, who support families through such a tough time, and refer youngsters to us; to all our volunteer Super Artists, who are working from home, home-schooling and still finding time to paint Supershoes; to members of the lone-working volunteer team who are making sure those Supershoes get out to children and of course the posties all over the country who are sorting these important parcels and delivering them!
Surprises are few and far between at the moment, so it’s lovely when we hear that the gift of Supershoes has brightened one of our young heroes’ days, it makes us all so happy too! Happiness needs to be a priority and it doesn’t have to be something huge. Often the smallest of gestures can create a far-reaching ripple of warmth and comfort.
I don’t often ask you for help in my blog, but these are exceptional times. If you can spare any amount to help us continue our work, we’d be so grateful. Even a £2 ticket for our monthly raffle, or a bid on our latest art auction, Words From The HeArt, would mean the world. Our Super brave children will always be high on our priority list: perhaps you could help us to keep them there…
With peace, love and gratitude
Sarahx