Rescuing Robbie

KNYSNA NEWS - For people who have never been affected by cancer, institutions like The Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and organisations such as The Sunflower Fund may hold a cursory, abstract importance if any, but for local Knysna attorney Donald Curtis and his wife Sarah, the plight of these organisations became only too clear when their toddler Robbie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in March this year.

So instead of battening down the hatches and focusing their attention only on their ailing son, they decided to see how they could also help the organisations themselves.

“You never know what it means to be a ‘cancer parent’ until it affects your own child. It's impossible to put into words just how it affects your child, you, and your family. I could never have imagined what these parents go through, never mind the children it affects directly,” Curtis says.

'It completely knocked us'
Sarah adds that the diagnosis came as a tremendous shock to the family and completely interrupted their lives. “It turned us upside down,” she says. Little Robbie commenced chemotherapy immediately and spent the first week in hospital. His family remained in Cape Town with him for 11 weeks in total, as he received further multiple treatments before returning to Knysna for a brief maintenance interval during June and July.

Several further phases of treatment await Robbie – who spent his fourth birthday in a hospital bed – which will entail more travelling to The Red Cross hospital in Cape Town over the next three years.

'Eye-opening experience'
“This experience has been eye-opening in many respects and we do our best to find and hold on to the positives, such as the tremendous support we’ve received from our family, friends and total strangers. It’s been incredible to see how many different people and organisations work tirelessly to assist childhood sufferers of cancer and their families” Curtis says.

Apart from the cost of the treatment, there are also accommodation, food, transport and countless other expenses. “Our medical aid doesn’t even cover half these costs. I can’t even imagine what other families without such assistance have to go through – I know I would do anything for my son, anything in my power,” he says, almost defiantly.

Curtis, who has three other children, adds that Robbie is responding very well to the treatment. As this article goes to print, the family is in Cape Town again and hoping to be back by 1 November. The continuous visits to the hospital have raised the Curtis family’s awareness about the hospital and The Sunflower Fund's role. “I wasn’t even aware of The Sunflower Fund, so how many other people don’t know about them, or that you can donate bone marrow through them for instance?” he wonders.

Rocking for Robbie campaign
With this in mind, and prompted and assisted by friends and colleagues in Knysna, they set up the childhood leukaemia awareness and fundraising initiative Rocking for Robbie. “We decided we needed to run this campaign for The Red Cross Children’s Hospital and The Sunflower Fund," Sarah adds.

It includes both a raffle, which is under way, as well as a golf day to be held on Sunday 30 September at Pezula in Knysna.

"Yes, we as a family do need some financial assistance at the moment and will benefit from the inaugural campaign, but the main focus remains on these two organisations and helping them with much-needed funding,” Curtis says, who adds that 20% of all of the funds raised will be shared equally with The Red Cross Children’s Hospital and The Sunflower Fund and the initiative is supported by both.

When asked how a professional such as a lawyer could be lacking for money, Curtis responds, “If we didn’t need the money, we wouldn’t ask for it. It is for Robbie at the end of the day, not for us,” he says. An independent bank account has been set up to collect the funds from the Rocking for Robbie initiative, “and the raffle we will be holding – which coincides with the Department of Health's childhood cancer awareness period from 15 August to 15 October – will be fully audited,” Curtis says.

From next year onwards, he says, 100% of funds raised with this planned annual initiative will go to charity.

Would you like to help?
The raffle, which has over 30 prizes to the total value of more than R100 000, is a fun way for people to not only show their support but also stand a chance to win some incredible prizes. Donald believes to receive you must also give.

“Instead of just asking people to give fruitlessly, they also have a chance to receive. And there are some amazing prizes ranging from 5-star luxury retreats to a flight over Knysna to a photography package to name just a few,” he says. Entries cost a mere R100 and close 30 September. Contact Tanya Factor on 044 382 7070 or email tanya@mpk.cx for more information.

• The Curtis family have been sharing posts about their journey on Facebook. Visit the page Rocking for Robbie to see how little Robbie has been progressing.

Click here for a photo gallery.

Brave, young Robbie.