Causes We Support - Platinum Life

Platinum Life supports CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation by donating a percentage of each premium collected on our cancer policies to the organisation monthly.

2023 CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHOC CHILDHOOD CANCER FOUNDATION

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More About CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation

CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation SA is the leading childhood cancer foundation in South Africa and the only childhood cancer foundation that provides comprehensive country-wide support to children and teenagers with cancer and life-threatening blood disorders, and their families.

CHOC was started in 1979 by parents in Johannesburg who identified the need to support other newly diagnosed children and families. In 2000, CHOC became a national body with parent groups functioning in the Northern Region (Pretoria), Gauteng South (Johannesburg), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban), Free State & Kalahari (Bloemfontein), Eastern Cape (East-London and Gqeberha) and the Western Cape & Namaqua (Cape Town).

CHOC’s primary aim is to provide a wide range of support for both the children, teenagers and their families, throughout the long period of treatment.

CHOC Programmes:

Professional emotional support (psychosocial support services)

CHOC provide psychosocial support to parents and families to cope with the many new demands on the whole family and to provide relevant information to assist them. CHOC employs a team of social workers and social auxiliary workers that provide full time psychosocial support in the Paediatric Oncology Units from diagnoses to the end of treatment or end of life (bereavement and grief support).

Emotional support: parental and family support

Trained volunteers render comprehensive emotional support to the children and their families. We offer support groups for survivors, parents to support newly diagnosed parents through group discussions, the Parent-Supporting-Parent Programme and during parent teas at the Paediatric Oncology Unit. Where there is not an active hospital school in the hospital, CHOC provides an Interactive Learning Programme. The psychosocial team and qualified volunteers support parents and families with bereavement and grief support. Every year at the end November, CHOC remembers the children and teens that died during the Remembrance Services nationally.

Accommodation

CHOC has accommodation facilities close to the treatment centres where out-of-town patients and a parent or caregivers can stay during the lengthy treatment phase. These have proved to be a very valuable service to the families and take a great deal of the strain off parents who must travel long distances to bring their child for treatment. All the houses provide accommodation, transport to and from the hospitals, meals and practical provisions free of charge. It is a clean and safe environment where new friendships are formed that are caring and supportive.

Transport assistance

Successful treatment of the children requires that they come into the specialised treatment centres many times over a period of up to three or more years. For many families, this obviously imposes a large financial burden. An important part of our support is funding for transport, to ensure that children are brought back on schedule for the whole of the course of treatment and that the programme is not abandoned because of family financial constraints.

Practical support

We offer necessities such as CHOC Carebags to all newly diagnosed patients (children and teens), nutritional support (food parcels, packed meals for parent who return home and tea-mornings with refreshments at the clinics). We also offer a small bereavement gift to assist the family during an extremely difficult period. This also is a way of letting the family know that we are thinking about them during the time of mourning.

General awareness

CHOC creates awareness of childhood cancer and CHOC services nationwide through marketing, campaigns, and events to promote early detection and to demystify stigma.

Awareness (training and education) programme

CHOC trains healthcare professionals, healthcare workers, traditional healers and communities on the early warning signs of childhood cancer. This is done to promote early diagnosis, access to specialised treatment centres and the continuation of treatment, and in doing so, reduces the mortality and morbidity of children with cancer, and possible disabilities related to the disease.

Advocacy and lobbying

CHOC advocates for those affected by childhood cancer and life-threatening blood disorders through alliances, networks and like-minded organisations nationally and internationally. We also work closely with the National Department of Health on policies to better the lives of children with cancer.

For more information about CHOC and the wonderful work they do, please visit their site by clicking on the button below.