The International Community choir brought the magic of Christmas cheer to patients in the paediatric ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital recently.
Utilising the gift of song and perfect harmony, the all-female group brought life to Ward C8 that is usually quiet, performing a medley of uplifting songs like Stay by Rihanna and Christmas classics like Santa Clause Is Coming To Town and Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child.
Mothers cradled and held their tiny babies and young children tightly in their arms, rocking back and forth to the melodious sounds coming from the choir, while comforting their children. The older children sat and watched attentively, eventually joining the choir to help sing some carols.
Senior registered nurse in the paediatric ward, Roxanne Clarke-Greene said the children always looked forward to Christmas and this was a special moment for them as they are suffering from different illnesses.
She said there were about 21 children on the ward, ranging from the newborn stage to age 15, some suffering from gastroenteritis and the majority from respiratory illnesses at a time when an increase is usually seen in these cases.
“This time in the Christmas season is the busiest for children. There are respiratory illnesses, the pneumonias, the lower respiratory tract infections, the upper respiratory tract infections, the asthma, and bronchiolitis. It’s a combination that we will have right now as they go off for the holidays for three to four weeks,” Clarke-Greene said.
For her, after many years of working in the paediatric ward, she said it gives her “great pleasure to see the children that would have come in very ill, get better and go home” as it was a ward with a lot coming in and going out.
Organiser for the Choir, Jacqui Johnson, said it was a delightful event and wished it made the children’s day and gave them some Christmas spirit. She said the QEH welcomed the choir’s idea of ministering to the children, as it was first time the group had ever done anything like this at the hospital.
Choir director and vocal coach Mike King said it was nice to be able to spread Christmas cheer to the children and hoped it was something they would always remember.
“It must be hard being a kid and being in a hospital. So, to be able to come here and spread a bit of cheer for them is nice as well. The fact that they sang at the end was lovely and really nice. They’ve been happy and quiet. They obviously felt comfortable coming up and singing,” King said.
Johnson said the group also did other charities like Seasons for Growth which is a charity for children going through trauma, loss or grievances and assisted them in finding ways for them to process their feelings and promote positive thinking.
She said the choir enjoyed the event and it served a form of therapy for the group.
“The more we can give back through singing, the better it is. The choir members are loving it, because it’s therapeutic for them as well,” she said. (AJ)
