As I reflect on the last 10 years there are so many memories that come flooding into my mind.
These reflections are of gorgeous, amazing children who prove time and again the resilience and courage it takes to live life to the full, regardless of the challenges of health and disability conditions. Some of those lives have been too short… and their touch on our lives has left imprints on our souls and minds. They will be remembered always.
My thoughts turn to the families who love and care for their children. At times it is heart breaking as parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents and whānau experience the helplessness of witnessing the struggle illnesses create for those they love. I have witnessed the creativity, determination and a purity of love and care that makes such a profound difference to their children, capturing the things that bring happiness and ‘lightness’ into their child’s life.
I have the image of a mum with her child in a buggy with feeding pump, suction machine and oxygen cylinder attached with the sunshine on the child’s face and her mum having a much needed coffee. The effort it took to get out of the house was enormous, however, the quality of living in the moment is captured in my mind of both mother and daughter enjoying the sunshine and seizing the day, creating a space to ‘be’ outside of the oppressive busyness of cares and medications.
There are many individuals, businesses and groups that have enabled True Colours to continue to grow and develop. Every contribution, small or large, has created ‘steps’ of progress for the organisation.The vision to provide care from the time a child has been diagnosed with a serious illness supporting the family to ‘help courage shine through’ and to assist them to ‘keep standing’ in the face of such adversity has been embraced by our community.
The age old saying, ‘it takes a village to raise a child‘ is true, and never more so than when a child has a complex health condition.
The Waikato community has supported us to care for over 1000 families….thank you!
To the Trustees, past and present – to the team, past and present, thank you! It is timely to celebrate, remember and reflect, and as we do, to gain further insights into how we will continue to develop a service that children and families tell us makes a positive difference.
To all who have supported us – thank you!
To the children and families who have and who will receive care and support, I dedicate this work to you.
