LULU

A couple of years ago I was the volunteer co-ordinator for another childhood cancer foundation in the Western Cape. I recruited and trained volunteers and set up a volunteer core. I knew that working with cancer children was my calling.

One in every 600 children will get cancer. DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Children die, because they don’t know which signs to look out for nor their parents and teachers. I didn’t want to give information out, which children will not remember anyway, so I prayed about it…in a dream I clearly got the idea of using a doll with the name of "Lulu" to convey this very important message. Children connect very easily with a character. I contacted my 2 very talented friends, Steyn Fourie – a musician/song writer and singer and Lurina Eykelenboom-Fourie, a writer and photographer, to help me give” life” to this wonderful project called: “THE LULU PROJECT”.

2 Weeks during February we toured around the Western Cape, Boland and West Coastal areas and saw about 20,000+ children per year, bringing awareness through “Lulu's” (who is a “cancer” girl) song and dance. The second year “Lulu” launched her own cd with her 2 friends “Fred the tortoise” and “Griet – a silly horse”, in the form of a story and sing-along songs about awareness. It was made available to the 45,000 +/- school children we saw that specific year and sold over 12,000 cd’s over 2 weeks. Taking the awareness to their households and teachers, achieving our exact goals!

We got the most wonderful feedback from parents and teachers. One young boy who saw “Lulu’s” show realized afterward something was wrong with his leg and asked his grandmother to take him to the doctor. He was diagnosed with osteo-sarcoma and subsequently lost his leg and later his life…imagine if he saw “Lulu” early enough what the outcome could have been….

Due to personal and family trauma after 5 ½ years, I resigned and attended to and supported my family since. I have however, noticed a huge need for home based care giving and extended giving where other organizations are restricted by their constitutional laws. They can only support cancer children and their families up to a certain level…we want to go beyond and help wherever we can to make these families lives better and support until…either the kid is healed/remission or if the child is not going to make it, help them to die at home with their loved ones by their side. A huge lack of this type of support have been noted, especially in the Western Cape, West Coast, Boland and surrounding areas.

I was contacted by former volunteers and we raised the concerns and as we share the passion for cancer children, and the “Lulu project” decided to register the “Lulu project – called - Love Unfolds Let’s Unite” – we have united against the fight on cancer and by forming a unity we can share our love, time and energy to make our precious cancer children’s lives a little better…even just for a short while.

I would like to share a poem with you that can maybe express how strongly I feel about this calling and love I have for these children…

KLEUR VAN DIE LIEFDE
Here, wat is die kleur van die liefde dan?
Is dit die blou van die hemel
In die oë van ‘n pasgebore kind
Of dalk die grysblou-amperse wit
In die oë van ‘n sterwende kind
besig met die oorgang van die
Hier en nou, saam met die Engeleskaar?

Here, is dit dalk geel?
Die kleur wat jou die siek gevoel
Op jou maag gee…die kleur van vomeersel
Van dit wat verkeerd gegaan het
In die liefde van jou lewe
Die afklank, die wanklank van die liefde
Verewig nooit weer dieselfde nie

Here, of is dit dalk rooi?
Die warmte wat brand in jou hart
Die heerlike gevoel van behoort
Koorsagtig, hitte wat jou deurdreng
Soos om by ‘n siek kankerkind se bed
Te sit, soms tot hulle ogies vir altyd toeval
Rooi, dis hoe my hart voel elke keer as God
Se Engele ‘n kindjie verlos van pyn, seer en hartseer
Rooi en dankbaar dat my hart so warm kon klop
Vir hierdie baie spesiale kindjie en dat God
Vir MY gekies het….rooi van passie
Rooi van liefde…hoe blus jy dan die vlam
Wat deur God self aangesteek is?
Nooit! Jy verander van taktiek, maar blus
Of terug draai dit kan jy nooit.

Die liefde lê opgesluit in baie kleure
En dit is vir my om elke dag deur die
Spel van die lewe iets daarvan te ontdek
Daarmee saam kom die ontdekking dat
Net soos die liefde en die leed, deel
uitmaak van kleur om ons
So is ons elkeen kleurvol deur die
liefdevolle Vader gevorm
ons moet soek watter kleur laat ons hart
vinniger klop – dit is waar ons plig en plek
lê – miskien is jou kleur reg langs
die lyfie van ‘n kankerkindjie geverf
wat gaan jy doen, sê dit is nie my werk nie
of gaan jy sê:”Here, rus my toe om net te luister
en om net te wees” hier, langs die kind-
leweloos, asem vlak, kleur weg uit die ogies
soms, net soms wonder jy wat meer kon jy doen
om die wit van die vel en die blou are se kleur te
kan verdiep, die wit moet net nie so blou wees nie!
Waar anders kon ek betrokke raak, hierdie liefde
Binne my - hoe kon ek dit deel van’n kind se lewe maak

Jy kan, ek kan, ons kan…..wat is jou kleur?
Rooi, geel, of blou of dalk het jou liefde ‘n ander kleur….
Liefdes-maat……wat is jou volgende skuif
Dalk die oorverf van ‘n kind se kamer
Dalk die stywe drukkie vir daai brandmaer lyfie
Wat smag na vasgehou word

Wat trek uit die liefde en hitte van jou lyf en jou siel
Want môre mag dit dalk te laat wees….

Rooi, jy is verweef hier binne my, om my, deur my,
Heeltemal deel van my wese, verstand en gees…….
Rooi vir my is liefde met passie, my liefde..so ek gee met ‘n
Warm en liefdevolle hart totdat iemand eendag die rooikwas
Uit my hand kom neem…..
Dankie Here dat kleur vir elkeen anders is…..
Dankie vir die reënboog na elke reën
Dit herinner my aan u beloftes……van kleur
En omgee…..

deur Katryntjie (Cathy Louw)