but that was a dragon

The International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) seeks to educate the public about childhood cancer and to support local fund-raising by member nations. Everyone can play a part.

ok, so i was volunteering at this event and i was assigned to man a game booth for kids. this game booth seeks to educate the public on what are helpful and what are not helpful for families who have just lost their kid to cancer. so i try to lure kids to my booth with the prize magnets and when they come, i start explaining "when a child has just passed away from cancer, how would you help his or her parents? here on the board, i have 2 columns labelled 'helpful' and 'not helpful'. with these cards that i am giving you, i want you to decide which card should go where."

there's a particular card that says 'tell them that they can make up for their loss by adopting a child'. now, how do you explain this to a 5 yr old girl? anyway, i began by saying that it's like making someone else's kid your own. she knitted her eyebrows and asked "isn't it like stealing then?" i was struck dumb for a while and then i said "that kid is most probably an orphan, left behind by his or her parents who may have passed away or gone away for some reasons. and they would need to ask for permission first." she seemed to accept that explanation. phew! btw, that card belongs to the 'not helpful' category.

another girl, 11 yr old. while she was thinking hard, trying to fit the cards, her mom pulled me aside and whispered into my ears "her dad passed away from cancer 4 years back and she's still grieving." upon hearing that, my heart ached. no wonder she seemed to take the game rather seriously, considering each statement carefully. she proceeded to put the card 'let them take the time to grief' under the 'helpful' category. something in my heart prompted me to say this to the mom "that's why you stayed strong for her right?" she gave me an appreciative smile.

there were some performances going on and i was vaguely aware of a dragon dance. the dragon swished here and there in front of my eyes. after the whole din was over, a little girl tugged at me and asked "when's the lion dance happening?" i was quite amused and i think i was wearing an incredulous look when i said to her "uh.. you were here just now, isn't it? it was just over." perplexed, she replied "but that was a dragon.." as if jolted from a hypnosis, i was enlightened by that statement and immediately, i burst into laughter "oh yah, you are right, that was obviously a dragon." while i was still reeling from my own foolishness and wondering what came over me, the pounding drum beats started again and there! the lion dance was just beginning. i pointed the girl in that direction. saved by the lion!

i was having so much fun getting kids to play that when a pregnant lady walked by, i had the strange impulse to ask her if i could invite her unborn child to play. bearing a new life, i wonder if she would play the game in her child's stead. if i were her, i would :)

had a little chat with a few other volunteers. one lady works at the national cancer centre and the other does research on cancer. wow, both are cancer related if you know what i mean. it's amazing how they can still volunteer in the same field despite their full time job. this is probably an example of how passion can drive people. when both pair of eyes turned on me, er, i said "well, basically i volunteer quite a bit and i love kids! also, i was doing community development work for some while." i guess no one said that you have to work in related fields when you volunteer :) everyone can play a part.