Dance video is a tribute to Ruby
Medical staff send message of strength and courage
Medical staff at a Tayside hospital have honoured the memory of brave Ruby Stewart with a special dance to her favourite song.
Ruby (6), from Inchture, was diagnosed with stage four alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, in September 2017 at the age of four.
She received many cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and endured numerous admissions to hospital before the disease sadly took her life earlier this year.
Staff from the pharmacy department at Ninewells this week joined together to organise a dance routine in memory of Ruby.
Dancing to one of her favourite songs, ‘The Macarena’, pharmacy staff mastered the dance steps and gave a polished performance.
As part of the routine, staff held up cards with inspirational words of strength, courage, positivity and resilience which epitomised Ruby’s personality and her character.
One card noted ‘Be More Ruby’, which refers to a charity set up in her memory to raise funds for research into rhabdomyosarcoma through a children’s cancer and leukaemia group (CCLG) special named fund.
Pharmacy staff across Tayside continue to support the charity by participating in various events and, most recently, supporting the sale of lanyards and pin badges.
Ruby’s mum Claire Stewart, who is pharmacy technical services lead for Ninewells, was very touched by her colleagues’ efforts.
She said: “The support of pharmacy colleagues has been fantastic. I’m so grateful to them for wanting to share my amazing daughter’s positive message.
“The pharmacy dancers may be small in number, but they are delivering what I hope is a strong and clear message of strength, courage and having fun, which is exactly how Ruby lived her life.
“I’m really proud and grateful to all of them, including everyone behind the scenes, for their continuing contribution and dedication to both their work and to ‘Be More Ruby’.
Throughout her treatment Ruby was a bright, happy funloving little girl who faced her challenges incredibly bravely and positively.
Ruby’s lasting legacy is to encourage people to be more like her - brave, happy, fun, enthusiastic, energetic, full of laughter and love, and wanting to help people.
The NHS Tayside pharmacy staff’s video has been viewed more than 2000 times and can be found at https://youtu.be/ PdsAZcBD-b0