SickKids VS: A Day of Watching History Being Made
GUEST BLOG: Kathy Anderson, Teacher at The Hospital for Sick ChildrenWhen I was in school I thought history was something that happened a long time ago but, as I have aged, I have come to realize that history is happening every moment of every day. On the weekend of September 16/17, I had the honour of watching hundreds of patients and families from SickKids make history.
200 patients and family members had been invited to participate in the making of a new commercial to support the new campaign SickKids VS Limits. This new commercial, called “All In” would be the launch of a $1.3 billion fundraising campaign to build a new hospital. I was surrounded by families who view daily life with thankful hearts. They were asked to give their time to support SickKids and they all said yes!
"They all wanted to have the chance to show the world how much SickKids meant to them."
As the day progressed, I learned that being in a commercial requires a lot of perseverance. The kids were amazing. They sat patiently and waited for their opportunity to give back to the hospital that had given them so much. There was no crying and I didn’t hear anyone complain. When one of the film crew would come in and ask for 20 kids for the next shot, all of the kids would enthusiastically raise their hands with the hope of being chosen. It was amazing to see. As the day wore on, the parents seemed to fade but the kids kept raising their hand to participate. They all wanted to have the chance to show the world how much SickKids meant to them.
After a long day at the warehouse, we moved to the second filming site at a scrap yard. The mental picture you created for a scrap yard is exactly what we saw; piles of old sinks, car parts, appliances, and a lone golf club. The kids walked in tentatively and as they looked around, their eyes lit up with curiosity. They saw it as a place to explore and investigate. Their parents and the film crew had to hold them back.
Once again, the kids shined. They did everything that was asked of them. They covered themselves in dirt (which was actually makeup applied by professional makeup artists) and on queue ran through the yard carrying items that would help to build a new hospital. Take after take, they took part in their scenes like seasoned actors.
The filming wrapped up at 7 p.m. I was exhausted, but as I looked around, I saw nothing but pure joy on the faces of the kids and families. The kids seemed to still have boundless energy and didn’t want to leave as they played with the camera crew. As for the parents, they had the ever knowing smile on their faces; this was another moment in their child’s history that they would treasure.
