By Jessica Anstice
Officer resident John Schafer wants to give back to the people that helped his three year old son Lucas through cancer treatment.
Lucas was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia when he was just 16 months old, on 19 September in 2016.
Mr Schafer is fundraising for the different departments at the Monash Children’s Hospital through the Monash Health Foundation (MHF) that help sick and scared children when going through treatment with activities such as arts therapy, music therapy and play therapy.
The MHF guided Mr Schafer through the process of setting up an online fundraising page, ran by MHF called Everyday Hero.
With a bunch of prizes to give away, donated by local business, Mr Schafer will be selling raffle tickets and holding a card night.
He will also be cutting a ribbon shape in his hair and dying it yellow.
“The money we raise will go to the music therapy department. Last year we did the arts therapy department by holding this fundraiser,” Mr Schafer said.
“There will be plenty of instruments for the therapists and children to use so we are really hoping that local businesses will get on board and help us put a smile on the children’s faces.
“If anybody has a music shop it would be really nice if we could get a discount and get more bang for our money.”
Mr Schafer said, “Having the support of family, friends and the wonderful people at the children’s cancer centre means it makes our families journey through this a bit more bearable.
“It’s real easy to forget about Lucas sister Lauren, age five, we also need to remind ourselves that Lauren too needs time for herself playing with her friends or cousin.”
If you would like to make a donation, go to Everyday Hero, click on the search bar, and type in John Schafer Children’s Cancer Centre.
