For children with cancer, and their families, Brian is much more than a bus driver at Childhood Cancer Support. He’s the first face they see before and after each appointment. He’s there to distract them from the terrible news or celebrate with them, the good news.
For over three years, Brian has driven thousands of kilometers, and thousands of patients and their families to help make life that little bit easier for them. He brings smiles and laughter, and a familiar face to an otherwise difficult time.
Families stay in Childhood Cancer Support accommodation when they need to travel from regional Queensland towns to Brisbane for long-term life-saving cancer treatment.
“I try to give parents and kids a break from the medical talk. I’ve travelled regionally quite a lot so I try to find something to talk about that’s familiar to them to create some common ground,” Brian says.
“When I pick them up from the hospital, I can usually judge what sort of time they have encountered. Sometimes they unload all the way home, other times it is complete silence. I listen to them and I’m there for them.”
“I really enjoy meeting families from all walks of life and taking the time to learn about where they have come from and what they do at home. It’s also a good feeling when they get to go home and you know that you’ve been a small part of their journey, and perhaps made their time in Brisbane less stressful.”
Brian is calling on people to support Childhood Cancer Support to help raise much-needed funds to keep the vital transport service going.
“Not having this service would cause additional stress and financial burden on families that are already having to give up their jobs, be away from home and family, and manage a very difficult time in their life.”
“By providing this service, Childhood Cancer Support saves regional families the financial costs involved with running a car long-term and paying for parking at the hospital. It also relieves the stress for regional families navigating the traffic in an unfamiliar city.”
“Please support Childhood Cancer Support. We need to keep this service running because it makes a huge difference to families affected by childhood cancer.”
You can keep Brian’s bus going by purchasing tickets in the Play for Purpose lottery. $5 of every ticket sold will go directly to Childhood Cancer Support, and you’ll go into the draw to win the first prize valued at $250K, or one of 394 additional prizes.
Purchase your tickets all year round.
