BCS Children’s Christmas Party will live on

With the Barbados Cancer Society (BCS) expecting to celebrate its 40 year anniversary in 2020, the head of the charity sees the annual Children’s Christmas Party as a fixture in its calendar of events. 

President of the Barbados Cancer Society (BCS) , Dr. Dorothy Cooke-Johnson emphasized this at the annual event during a brief interview with The Barbados Advocate at the Barbados Yacht Club on Sunday. 

She anticipated that in the future, the children who attended the party in the past would have grown up and they will be in a position to volunteer and assist with the seasonal function. She said that she expects the organisation to reach that 100-year milestone and it will continue to improve and serve the children of Barbados. Earlier, she noted that the Christmas Party has been held for “many, many years.”

According to Dr. Cooke-Johnson, the event was held for children between the age of 2-3 to 15-16 years and their families. Persons attending the Christmas party are recovering from cancer or have relatives dealing with the condition. 

“This party has been going on for a long time and I hope we are able to continue it with all these kiddies and I hope they have a bright time together,” said Dr. Cooke-Johnson. 

Loss can be difficult 

During the brief interview, Dr. Cooke-Johnson noted that the Barbados Cancer Society has lost one of its long-standing clients who was under the BCS care for the past ten years. She explained that they have lost a number of young people at the hospital and noted that in these situations, the cancer is usually at a late stage when it is discovered or it is a serious type of cancer. 

The BCS President indicated that in most children’s cases, it is leukaemia but it has good rate of recovery. 

On Sunday, The Barbados Cancer Society hosted their annual children’s Christmas party for about one hundred and twenty children and their family members at the Barbados Yacht Club. It was an evening of fun and food with children and their families enjoying ice-cream, sweets, cake and pizza along with a visit from Santa’s helper, toys, music, face painting and a jumping tent. 

Coordinator of the event, Jacqueline Skeete expressed her appreciation to the companies who contributed items and these include Cemix, the main sponsor of food, Ansa McAl, Bico, Sandpiper, Firgos, Ernst and Young, Redd Advertising, Purity, Liliplum, Clark Niles and the Mormon Church. Skeete said the party has been held for well over two decades.