Blues players spread cheer among young patients
CARDIFF Blues players have taken a break from battling on the rugby pitch to spread some festive cheer among young hospital patients.
The squad were out and about and met patients, family and staff at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House in Cardiff, the Royal Glamorgan Hospital near Llantrisant and Ty Hafan children’s hospice in Sully. The surprise was part of the region’s annual Christmas visits.
Owen Lane, who was at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, said: “It was quite a big eye-opener, there were kids younger than me on the cancer wards, which was quite shocking to see. Some of them may not be home for Christmas and their families have to come here, so it’s definitely a bit of a shock.”
Owen, 19, says he took particular inspiration from a patient on the teenage cancer ward who was also a keen rugby player. Several players accompanied him while he received his latest course of chemotherapy and they were blown away by his attitude.
“He is still so positive having the treatment, which was inspiring to see,” centre Owen added. “We sat with him while he was having his chemo and he was just telling us about a trip he is going on to Newcastle with his mates.”
It was also a humbling afternoon for Nick Williams, Blaine Scully, Kristian Dacey, Corey Domachowski and James Botham, who visited Ty Hafan, which offers care to children from across Wales and support for their families. The players spent almost two hours at the hospice, playing games with the patients.
Nick, who plays in the back row, tweeted: “Absolute privilege to visit the awesome facilities @tyhafan and meet some beautiful children, puts everything in perspective.”
Back in Cardiff, Macauley Cook was on hand to show his teammates around Ronald McDonald House, where he is an ambassador. The facility provides free accommodation for the families of children who have been admitted to the University Hospital of Wales for a prolonged period.
Flanker Macauley, from Church Village, said: “There’s 24 families currently staying there, it has 32 rooms, so it’s brilliant to see the impact it has on the families and the kids.”