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True Colours launches ambitious fundraising campaign for 10th anniversary

Waikato-based charity, True Colours Children’s Health Trust, is recognising 10 years of service this May and has launched an ambitious fundraising campaign to celebrate. The charity, which provides counselling, therapy and nurse care for seriously ill children and their families, hope to raise $10,000 this month by encouraging members of the public to donate just $10 each. Funds raised will be used to ensure True Colours’ services remain free to children and families who require this support...

Every day is a new beginning…

As we are now well into the New Year, I am reminded of the quote, “Every day is a new beginning, take a deep breath and start again”. How true that is! It has been a busy start to the year for True Colours, with a number of new referrals to the organisation, highlighting the multi-layered complexity of caring for a child who is seriously unwell. At times it can be overwhelming and scary with the uncertainty of what the future holds with a new diagnosis, bringing a sense of helplessness and p...

Rainbows and Hope

It has been a challenging start to the year for some of the families that the True Colours team supports. The sadness and grief that the death of a child brings into families lives are insurmountable… and in fact indescribable. As I was driving back from a rural town after visiting with a family, I was aware of the rainbow overarching the hills in front of me. It evoked memories as I reflected on the many years I have been doing this work with sick children and their families, and that ra...

Miriama Kamo And True Colours Invite You To Lunch

Presenter of TVNZ shows Sunday, Marae Investigation and Tonight, Miriama Kamo, will be hosting the upcoming Melbourne Cup day charity fundraiser for True Colours Children’s Health Trust. The True Colours and Pumice Food Group Long Lunch will take place at The Atrium, Wintec on Melbourne Cup day, Tuesday 5 November, as part of the annual fundraising efforts for the Trust. Pumice’s Chefs David Kerr and Ryan Ladbrook will be serving a plated three-course meal throughout the afternoon while gues...

Chartwell Shoppers Wrapped To SUupport True Colours

Together with the communities across New Zealand Westfield’s nine centres raised over $72,000 for New Zealand charities who work to better the lives of Kiwi kids. For an eighth year, Westfield Chartwell has offered a free Christmas gift wrapping service to shoppers who are invited to make a gold coin donation to a charity within the centre’s local community. Westfield Chartwell’s Marketing Manager, Nicole Foster says, “Generous shoppers at Westfield Chartwell, raised an impressive $7,218...

A Truly Special Performance

When the lights dim at Riverlea Theatre, Hamilton on Tuesday 12 August it will be for a very special reason. The evening’s performance of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is a charity one for True Colours Children’s Health Trust. True Colours provides counselling, nurse care and education for children who are seriously ill or living with a life-limiting illness, their siblings, family and whanau. The charity receives no government funding and is reliant solely on community funding. Jenni Murphy-...

Parents the unseen heroes when caring for children with complex health needs

I want to acknowledge and applaud Cliff Robinson who has lobbied and advocated for families to be recognised financially as they care for their adult children with complex health and disability needs. In the recent media coverage (Waikato Times May 26) Cliff explained that he wanted the payments for family carers to be his legacy. Currently The Health Ministry do not pay family members who provide their own home-based care.  There has been a recent Court of Appeal decision which ruled that ...

Building Resiliency in Children

Stephen Parkinson (psychotherapist/music therapist) and I met with a small group of children and their parents this week in a music therapy session. As I watched the children engaging with the music and one little girl dancing in the session I was in awe of their resiliency.  These children live with such compromised health conditions.  Their parents are vigilant in their care and protection as they live with the challenge of the many barriers that they have to work with every day. Wha...

Holiday a mixed time for families

It feels good to return to True Colours after having a break for two weeks and to feel refreshed. Although the weather wasn’t favourable to getting outside and doing things, it actually enforced a stop and ‘rest time’. So for me it was spending quality time with family and friends, which meant good company, red wine, food, music, walking and reading a great book to replenish the soul and body! In meeting with families on my return to work, there have been many comments made on how relaxed ...

Listening to families

This is my last blog for the year and as I think back over this time the team has certainly accomplished a lot throughout the last 12 months. There have been a number of conferences, workshops and seminars that we have attended, and presented at. It is so important to keep our professional development up to date whilst also passing on to our colleagues the knowledge we gain regarding the work we do in supporting sick children and their families. Last Friday we facilitated our last training day f...

Huge generosity makes True Colours Long Lunch a great success

Last week the annual fundraiser the ‘True Colours Long Lunch’ was held at the Narrows Landing. It was a great success with feedback from those who attended that is was a hugely enjoyable day. True Colours has been reliant on this fundraiser providing funds to continue the valued work of supporting seriously ill children and their families. There are of course many people that contribute to making this day so successful. Deborah Mundy and Brian Hermann generously sponsor the event by providin...

Challenge to gain sufficient funding to continue service

As we enter the beginning of October, I realise it is only a month away from the True Colours Long Lunch fundraiser on 1 November, Melbourne Cup Day. It is always a major event that many people enjoy and it is our main fundraiser of the year. There is a lot of preparation that goes into this event, and the Friends of True Colours work hard to make sure the day goes according to plan. Diane O’Sullivan has coordinated this event over a number of years, a brain child initially of Annah Stretton. ...

Staying resilient in the face of chronic illness

When we are faced with the unexpected in our lives, what do we do to keep some form of balance when everything around us no longer feels the same? Every day I meet with people who are faced with trying to make meaning out of the unforeseen circumstances they are experiencing. Life is full of unanticipated situations that have us adapting and transitioning to new positions; it is rare to go through life without any ‘bruising’. Many of the children and families I meet are adjusting to a life c...

Facing the challenge of Winter

Winter can be so isolating for families who live with children with compromised health needs. There are many viruses and bacterial infections that can put the children at risk of a life-threatening event. While many of the children who live with chronic and long term health conditions may be hospitalised over this winter season, there are many other families who are staying at home trying to minimise the risk for their children. Other families are making the decision to home school over the wint...

Children’s rights in healthcare

As I continue with my PhD study, I am motivated to keep questioning, challenging and exploring the health care that is currently available. I have dedicated the last decade to ‘listening to the voice of the child’ and have felt driven to make sure that the children and young people receiving support from True Colours have their voices heard. Of course there are always the ‘systems’ within institutions that are difficult to navigate at times, but True Colours works hard to try and meet th...

“There is nothing safe about this life”

It appears that the world has turned a little crazy; it is frightening to turn on the radio or TV as we brace ourselves for more bad news. As we continue to think of the people of Christchurch and now Japan I want us to remember the tragedies that may go undetected. While attending a conference in Auckland last week, I had the opportunity to listen to Sue Bradley remind us of the tragedy of poverty and what this means for the children in NZ let alone in other parts of the world. She is right of ...

Our hearts reach out to Christchurch

Our hearts are heavy as we think of the Christchurch people and the devastation and grief that have entered their lives in an earth shattering moment, changing their circumstances forever.We know and understand about resiliency, strength and courage and it is something I speak of a lot as I see this daily in those that I care for. But it takes energy and huge courage to ‘stand up’ again after the foundation of trust has been shaken to the core, in this case, literally. As the rest of the cou...

How will we face the New Year

As a new year unfolds there are some of us who are looking ahead with a degree of nervousness as to what it may hold; others of us have an enthusiastic anticipation for what new challenges may lie ahead. Whatever the view, it is a new year, and one that is to be embraced to make each moment count to the best of our ability.The year started with global tragedies and for some of us, heartbreak has been on a personal level. I do want to acknowledge those that have started the year hurting, grieving...

Support helps team keep standing

As I write this for the last time for 2010 I am reflecting back and remembering the different experiences of the year. Many will know that this year was a difficult one for the True Colours team as we faced our own grief, loss and health issues. Due to the smallness of the team this had a huge impact. But the support given to us throughout the year has assisted us to ‘keep standing’.Every time there is a contribution to our organisation from the many different individuals who support True Co...

Long Lunch fundraiser was an awesome event

We have just had our major fundraiser for the year which will help sustain the organisation and allow us to continue to deliver the quality care required for children and families. This is crucial as True Colours receives no direct government funding.The True Colours Long Lunch was Annah Stretton’s inspiration as she saw the opportunity to give people a fun afternoon of watching the Melbourne Cup whilst having good food, wine and entertainment. The proceeds of this afternoon are then donated t...

We all want our voice heard

People leave permanent imprints on our lives, each individual has value, and in the process of caring for sick children and their families I marry the understanding of my own experiences with those of the people I care for. This enriches my vision of all that is difficult and all that is worthwhile in life.People leave permanent imprints on our lives, each individual has value, and in the process of caring for sick children and their families I marry the understanding of my own experiences with ...

“Making sense gives meaning to the experience”

As I consider the adversity that many of the True Colours families face on a day to day basis I am left reflecting on the word ‘hope’. Some of us are particularly good at finding the silver lining in a cloud and others of us find it hard to see the point or relevance in some situations. I certainly have stood in both places at different times in my life.As we strive to find meaning in the things that happen in our lives it is more difficult when we see the impact on the family and those that...

“Seen, heard and understood”

When children say to me “it’s not fair” when they can no longer jump on a trampoline or ride their bike as they used to with their brothers and sisters because of their illness, it is hard to hear. They are right. Life is not fair; particularly if these illnesses are life-limiting and if they are faced with their mortality before they reach their teenage years. We as adults are struck with the helplessness in not knowing how to make a difference and the sense of futility in not being able ...

Extra vigilance is exhausting for parents

As winter is here I am aware this is a time for families to be extra vigilant in regard to protecting their children from the many virus’s and bacterial infections that are more prevalent at this time of the year.Protection of children who are already living with compromised health needs becomes the high priority for many families.  Winter brings about a different set of challenges that impacts on everyone in the family.  More children are admitted to the paediatric department as che...

Illness and loss have huge impact on team

It has been a tough month for the True Colours team! As an organisation we support families in relation to illness of a child. We recognise the impact illness and grief have on all members of the family and those close to them. Over this last month our own team has experienced, and is, experiencing critical illness, grief and loss first hand. We are a small team of five and often relate to each other as our “work family”. So when something quite significant happens to three of our “fa...