„So when are we going home?“ – quietly asked a boy fighting cancer, who came to taste the treats brought by the “Tuk Tuk Heart” support fund to the children’s oncohematology department of Santaros Clinics.
Their dream – to return to a normal life
The question that stopped everyone gathered for a few seconds and became a sensitive reminder that these children no longer need expensive toys or impressive gifts – they want one thing most of all: to go home as soon as possible, hug their loved ones, wake up in their own bed, and live a life that seems so simple and natural to many of us.
At that moment, you clearly understand that some children’s childhood today fits between the white hospital walls, beeping machines, procedures, chemotherapy, and waiting.
United by a common activity
The “Tuk Tuk Heart” fund team came to the department to hold a sensitive afternoon for mothers and children, but this day quickly turned into much more than just a meeting or education.
The children enjoyed “Talutti” waffles, packed toys donated by Simona Nainė, laughed, colored, and together with educator Rasa Rakauskienė created handmade pendants, which that day became small symbols of hope for every child and their mother in the department.
Even in the toughest life situations, children still want to be children – to create, play, show their drawing to their mother, or at least forget the hospital routine for a short while.
Mothers and fathers – a source of strength
Fathers present in the department with their children also sensitively engaged in the activities, coloring, communicating, and trying to create at least a few easier and brighter hours for the children, but most of the emotions that afternoon were seen in the mothers’ eyes, as they are the ones who experience daily what many people could not even imagine.
They sleep next to the children’s beds, wake up at night to the sounds of machines, learn to understand complex medical terms and blood test results, which suddenly become the most important numbers in their lives.
They learn to be strong when inside they are breaking, smile at their child after sleepless nights, and quietly cry in hospital corridors so they can return to the ward strong again.
Moved by a personal story
Mothers and fathers especially sensitively received the story of the fund’s founder, Alina Šiaulevičiūtė. She openly shared her family’s experiences when her young child was diagnosed with cancer, and life turned upside down in one day.
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Alina spoke about the time spent in hospital wards, the fear for her child’s life, sleepless nights, and the inner struggle to stay strong for her child even when she felt she had no strength left.
Listening to her story, mothers cried, but at the same time, something incredibly strong was clearly visible – solidarity.
Still, Alina says that although her son’s illness is now in the past, she knows better than anyone what it means for mothers to be close to sick children, so today she tries to support every family walking this difficult path.
“Being here, I once again understood how incredibly strong these mothers are. They live every day between uncertainty, fear, and waiting, yet still find the strength to smile at their children, comfort them, hug them, and be their greatest safety. Listening to their stories, I saw not only pain but also incredible love and strength. In such places, you clearly understand that sometimes what a person needs most is not big words, but simply knowing that they are not alone,” said the fund’s founder Alina Šiaulevičiūtė.
Coffee break – a chance to pause and calm down
A sensitive surprise for the mothers was provided by “Kavos draugas,” who donated a coffee machine to parents caring for children, and entrepreneur Ernestas Kavaliauskas voluntarily additionally gave another coffee machine to the medical staff and personnel.
It may seem like just a coffee machine, but for a mother who has been living in the hospital for weeks or even months, a cup of hot coffee sometimes becomes the only moment of peace and pause during the whole day – a small reminder that someone is thinking about them too.
Representatives of the fund say that such afternoons once again remind us of one very important thing – families of sick children today need not pity, but human support, closeness, and a society that does not pass by, because sometimes even the smallest kindness to a person living in a hospital ward becomes a huge light.
More information on how to contribute to the well-being of sick children and parents can be found here:
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