A Meaningful Weekend

I rode a fire truck and it was awesome.

This was a very fruitful and meaningful weekend. I went back to my alma mater to attend the annual Kite Flying by the Kythe-Ateneo. Kythe is a student organization that cares for pediatric cancer patients through simple sharing and togetherness. These kids are as young as a few months to 10 years old. Too young to be struggling with such terrible condition.

Kythe members would spend a day or two every week to visit these kids and spend time with them. They would read stories, color pictures, play games, etc. The Kite Flying Day is the opening project of the Kythe Week. It is held annually at the Bellarmine Field. A string of activities and a sumptous merienda were in store for the kids. There was free flowing sago and taho. And eat-all-you-can spaghetti, puto, ice cream, cotton candy and hotdog. There were also several game booths where kids can play and win prizes. Mascots and storytellers did a great job entertaining them. The event was very festive. Plus, I also found out that I really suck in kite flying. LOL!

The highlight of the day was the kite flying activity. Imagine the joy of these kids seeing their kites soar high in the sky. Their smiles were priceless. The image of more or less 40 kites flying and gliding peacefully while the kids either watch or were themselves manning the kites was simply beautiful. They were also given the chance to ride a fire truck courtesy of the nearby fire station. The fire truck went several rounds around the campus much the glee of the passenger kids and volunteers. I also found myself riding the fire truck. Now I think firemen are one of the coolest people on this planet.

The activites brought out the kid in me. Which was congruent to the Kythe Week’s theme: "Unleash the Kid in You! " Probably that’s the key thing in these sort of things. You need to be a kid in order to best understand the kids. These kids are helplessly battling something they understand very little about. The most heartbreaking part is that most of these kids, the kids we just played with, won’t even survive to live normal lives like we do. And they are most likely oblivious to this fact. They just feel the pain and know that there’s nothing their parents and friends can do to alleviate this pain. Nevertheless, they are kids. They understand what is fun and what is good. That’s why Kythe makes it a point that they feel special despite their condition. Kythe gives them the opportunity to have fun just like any other kid who loves cotton candy, who are facinated with kites and who enjoy riding fire trucks.

To the Kythe members who made these kids smile, I applaud you. It takes a good amount of guts and a big heart to be able to commit yourselves into something like this. The knowledge alone that the kids I just played with will soon experience the pain they are so familiar with breaks my heart into thousands of pieces. Moreover, the fact that one by one, these kids will soon be with God.

Yes, we will all pass away someday. But it’s tragic that these little angels would pass away without even experiencing a good life as we all know it. I pray that their pain would go away. That some genius doctor is able to discover the perfect cure to this ailment. That all these kids would be able to grow up and live normal lives. Sigh. We should all be thankful for the life we enjoy right now. In a sense, these kids taught me something I could never learn anywhere else : That we should all appreciate our lives more and give more importance to its very essence. As a good friend (who happens to be one of the organizers as well) puts it, more than the fact that we are helping them, it’s actually the kids who are helping us learn the lessons of life. I wish I could do more. Seeing these kids smile is probably one of the most rewarding things there is in this world.