FRIDAY FLYER-Issue 172

This Christmas break, I was invited by a family friend to play the piano for a Christmas party at the NCSM (National Cancer Society Malaysia) Caritas Home Of Hope in Ipoh. NCSM Home of Hope is a residence for children with cancer who cannot afford accommodation while undergoing treatment at the nearby specialist hospital. The home has 7 rooms for children and their caregivers, and another 7 for female cancer patients. The center is run by a lovely lady, Ms. Mary James, a cancer survivor herself, and Ms. Louvely. Ms. Louvely explained that the children, including some babies, are at different stages of cancer and have various types, such as kidney, heart, and blood cancer. Cancer can originate almost anywhere in the human body, composed of trillions of cells. The children undergo chemotherapy at the nearby hospital, necessitating a small tube attached to their bodies for treatment. Ms. Mary and Ms. Louvely stressed the need to be careful when hugging the children and mentioned they strive to provide the best representation of a cozy home for them and their caregivers, offering facilities to cook but relying on public donations for food.

My purpose for the visit was to bring a little Christmas joy to the young children through music. I wanted to share my love of music with them, hoping that for a moment, they could forget their illness. Initially, I felt a bit sad seeing such young children facing serious health problems, but Ms. Mary explained the one rule in the home - there should never be any tears or sadness; only lots of laughter. These children don't seek pity; they want to be treated like normal children. Ms. Mary gave me a tip: the sadder you feel, the more you need to laugh with joy.

It felt like yesterday when I first started practicing Christmas carols for this event, but in reality, I began preparing in October with my teacher, Ms. CY, and practicing at home. I felt excited but also desperate to deliver a memorable performance, hoping to get some smiles and laughter. My family and I put together a Christmas carol book with the songs my sister Sofia and I were going to perform, allowing folks to sing along if they wanted to.

As I sat in the car, I pictured NCSM Home Of Hope in Ipoh, Perak, as a big house with lots of happy children, smiling or even laughing. As we got closer, tension built up in my fingers. I felt unprepared, but then I thought of the hard work I had put in to achieve something great. That calmed me down, but I still felt quite nervous, most likely due to stage fright (this was my first public concert)! Finally, we arrived at NCSM Home Of Hope and were greeted with smiles from Ms. Mary and her co-workers. I had an hour to practise before the concert to ensure my fingers and mind were ready. Soon enough, the show was on. As I sat at the piano, I calmed down, realising that it doesn't matter if I make mistakes; I was there to spread the joy of music and Christmas. I enjoyed the performance, and I believe the children did too, as many started singing along, forcing me to make some impromptu changes in the pace of the music.

I played a few carols: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night," "Deck the Halls," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." I managed to slip in some "Pirates of the Caribbean" as well. My sister Sofia, from Prep Year 4, also played a song, "Angels We Have Heard on High," for the children and sang solo for the first part of "Rudolph."

Despite the challenges the children were facing, I was pleasantly surprised to see them laughing, smiling, and even playing with each other. I spoke with some children; most were shy initially, but afterward, they began to talk to me about their hobbies, what they like to do, and how they feel. But soon, it was showtime.

After the show, we had lunch, continued Christmas carolling, and enjoyed ourselves. Even the staff joined in for the Christmas carolling, and we had a great time. Afterward, we opened some party packs that my family and I made for all the children. My sister Sofia did some art and craft with some children. Then we spent the rest of the day playing with the children and teaching them some music on the piano. I left the cancer home with a different perspective on music. Music doesn't always need to be perfect; if it spreads love and joy, you will enjoy it. This was an amazing experience, and I will treasure it for the rest of my life. Moving forward, I would like to continue supporting the Caritas Home, help raise funds, and bring musical joy to them. I have volunteered to take on a junior ambassador role for NCSM, with my sister Sofia as my assistant. I am looking for other opportunities to support the amazing work being done by this home.

I would like to thank Mr. Crann and the music department for lending us a keyboard and Ms. CY for helping me with some of the music. My sister Sofia gave me her full support, and I was very impressed with her performance as well. I have included some photos below.

Luis, Year 7, Holman House.