Children with cancer meet Wallabies players in Brisbane

Australian Rugby Union players Drew Mitchell and Pek Cowan took time away from the football pitch to visit children going through cancer at the Queensland Children’s Cancer Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane yesterday for Redkite, a charity that supports families through cancer.

Along with sharing their football tips with the children, the players participated in a singalong, singing ‘Old Macdonald had a Farm’ and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ as requested by, and to the delight, of the children.

The Wallabies also handed out wristbands, posters and temporary tattoos with the children, were given a hospital ward tour of the paediatric oncology wards and met the children’s families. The visit allowed the children and their families to have some fun and relief away from their rigorous cancer treatment regimes.

The hospital’s Redkite-funded social worker Rebecca Woods said: “Having profile visitors in the wards reminds the children and their families that the public community is behind them during their private battle with childhood cancer. The mood on the wards was clearly elevated after Drew and Pek paid their special visit.”

One of the children visited was Vienna (see photo attached to this press release).  Vienna, her sister Ines, and mum Sue were thrilled to meet the players and took the opportunity to wish them luck for their big game against South Africa at Suncorp Stadium this Saturday night.

The Australian Rugby Union is a valued supporter of Redkite and has been supporting Redkite since 2008.

Redkite supports families through the difficult cancer journey by providing essential emotional support, financial assistance, education support, bereavement support and telephone and email counselling.