I HAVE A VOICE
Instead of sharing any cupcake creations or other sweet treats this week, I feel like sharing my Fish Curry recipe, which is one of my family’s favourite meals. Sometimes life calls for serious foods rather than sweet ones! Whenever I’m not feeling energetic or am troubled by goings on in the world and simply can’t concentrate on cooking anything too complicated (or too sweet), I know that I’ll be able to throw all of these ingredients into my slow cooker, and without another thought, have a nutritious meal on the table for dinner.
You really must try it…..
Spicy Fish Curry
Put all the following ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on High for 6 hours:
400ml tin lite coconut milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
425g tin diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 kg basa or snapper fish fillets, cut into large cubes
2 spring onions sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 zucchinis, sliced (or a bunch of broccoli pieces is an option)
2 carrots, sliced
½ red capsicum, sliced
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
Serve with brown rice & ENJOY!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been feeling so grateful about having a voice. I mean, I have total freedom to say what I want, write what I want in this blog, and even sing at the top of my lungs in the street if I want to (which I don’t, by the way).
First there was the movie “King’s Speech” I mentioned in my TAKE OFF THE MASK! post; then it was International Women’s Day on the 8th March – both served to remind me how fortunate I am to have a voice, no matter how small.
I’ve also just started reading a book called “Half the Sky” by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, a former Times reporter. I can’t tell you much about it yet, but what I can tell you after reading just the Introduction, is that I am so thankful to journalists like these, who give a voice to some of the most oppressed and impoverished people around the globe. The publisher summarises the book as “a passionate call to arms against our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world”. I realise how blessed I am to live in a social environment in which my rights are equal to those of my husband. Sadly, thousands of women on the earth don’t enjoy such equality.
No matter what your thoughts are about the mass media industry, it’s hard to deny that there are thousands of journalists around the world who are doing an amazing job of promoting humanitarianism. If there were no journalists willing to put their own lives at risk in Japan at the moment, how would the Japanese people have a voice? How would the world hear their cry for help? And it’s the same story with the New Zealand quake and the Queensland floods, and I could continue to list news stories throughout history, which would take me forever, but you get what I’m talking about.
It’s heart-wrenching to watch a tragedy unfold before our very eyes on the news or read about it in the newspaper or on the internet, but it is also heart-warming to see people selflessly rush to the aid of their fellow man in trouble. What struck me in all this is the power of a voice. If it wasn’t for a person’s voice, how would rescuers know that there was anyone under the rubble to rescue? It is hearing a voice that gives people hope…an unshakeable hope that there is still life.
I read an article about the New Zealand police having to make the difficult decision to move on from a particular building after the devastating earthquake in Christchurch. But a Japanese rescue team decided to stay in the hope that there was still someone alive to rescue. They were being the voice for those people who they hoped were still alive.
Now, with the recent tragedy in Japan, we see people everywhere, from all nations and all walks of life wanting to help. I’m totally awe struck and inspired at the human compassion that arises in the midst of a tragedy. And I’m totally convinced that it is the responsibility of every adult to be the voice of someone who has lost their voice or has never had a voice in the first place.
There are multitudes of people on the earth…women, children, the poor…who are treated as though they have no rights and no voice. My hat goes off to those who step in and try to correct this.
As a parent, I’m the voice for my children. Whenever I believe they’ve been unfairly treated at school for example, I have no hesitation in addressing the issue. So instead of saying, “I’m just little old me, a nobody, I can’t make a difference in the world”…I say “my voice could make a difference in my family, my neighbourhood, or my community”. I believe the positive voice of one person can make a difference.
I love that blogging gives ordinary people like me a voice. My hope is that my blog is a voice of encouragement for people to live their lives to the full and the best way they possibly can. I believe that because of my cancer experience, I have a responsibility to be a voice for other cancer sufferers or to support organisations that are working to eradicate cancer as well. So I’ve chosen to use my voice where I can in this area.
Last October I was involved in a Pink Ribbon event to raise funds for the wonderful work of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, which was a great success. After that, I got to thinking of all the children and families who suffer with cancer. I wondered how I could use my heart for kids and my education qualification to help in some way, and that’s when I discovered the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA). I have just signed up as a volunteer and I’m sure as time goes on I’ll get to share some of the ways I volunteer with them.I guess it’s the responsibility I feel as a mum, a teacher, and just as an ordinary adult, to be the voice of children whenever possible. Most of the time, children don’t get to have a voice of their own in the public arena, but I believe they have a right to be heard. They have a right to safety and a good future, among many other things. Part of a good future is good health and this is what CCIA is striving for. The more voices that speak up, the more people will know about such organisations and want to help (either with monetary help or with their time)…and the greater the possibility that more children will enjoy a healthy future!
You never know what opportunities may arise to use your voice, but I bet if you stay on the lookout, something will definitely come up. Take my “Best of the Blogs” radio gig for example – I would never have imagined that I would get the opportunity to speak on radio! With this opportunity I hope to shed some light on hidden talent out there in “blogland”. There are so many people sharing great and lovely things in their blogs that we can all learn from. You just never know what one voice could do for someone.
I’d like you to meet a CCIA employee, Jessica Trad, who I recently interviewed so that I could share a little about this wonderful organisation with you:
When was CCIA established?
Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) was founded in 1976 by two families who endured the devastating experience of having a child with cancer – the Kasses family from Queensland and the Lough family from Wollongong.
Why did they establish it?
Both families were appalled by the lack of research into childhood cancer at the time. Through discussions with other parents of children being treated with cancer, the idea of starting a foundation was born. These families believed that if all the concerned parties were to join forces, perhaps something could be done to remedy this situation and lead to setting up their own research centre. This is exactly what happened. With each year the number of volunteers, administration staff and researchers continued increasing – eventually leading to the world-class research institution CCIA has become today.
What is the mission of CCIA?
Our vision is to save the lives of all children with cancer and eliminate their suffering. Our mission is to be a leader in preventing cancer and finding ways of curing cancer in children through world-class research.
You worked for CCIA some time ago and left, but returned recently as their Media & Communications Coordinator. Why did you return?
I first joined CCIA last year on a three month contract working on a couple of their direct marketing appeals. I had never heard of CCIA prior to that contract. Once I got here and started getting more insight into the work they did, I couldn’t help but be moved. I was fortunate enough to be invited on a tour of the labs and that truly was life changing. Seeing the researchers in their domain, with lab coats and test tubes, and all sorts of fancy equipment – I finally realised the importance of the work they did. They provide hope. That’s really what it comes down to. Day after day, hour after hour they investigate, probe and discover amazing things that can potentially save the lives of all children with cancer one day. I finished my contract, but that lab tour had planted a seed in my conscience and I didn’t feel quite ready to be walking away from CCIA. I had qualified as a primary school teacher soon after and did casual teaching for the remainder of the year. Towards the end of the year I decided to contact HR to see if there were any roles going because I had come to realise that I could use my skills for the greater good and try and make a difference at CCIA. After an interview and some paperwork I re-joined the Institute at the end of January this year and am thrilled to be back and involved in such amazing work.
What sorts of things do you do in your job?
It’s proving to be very varied! I have been brought on to assist the Community Events team in the Fundraising department, as well as to provide support for any media and public relations around these events. But as the weeks roll by, I find the role is stretching and tapping into many other areas – which is wonderful. Organising the community events makes up the bulk of my role, but I am now working on a schools program that will hopefully create more awareness on the work we do here. I feel that education and awareness is a valuable investment for the fundraising team – because once people know the type of work we do here, you can’t help but want to get involved!
Has there been a particular child/family that you have met through your work at CCIA that has made an impact on you?
They’re all amazing. How can I choose? What amazes me is the resilience and positivity the parents show while they’re facing such difficult times. I’ve been very fortunate to meet four families in the time I’ve been here and they are very involved in using their story to help us in our fundraising efforts. One family that particularly stands out would be Krystel Keller, her partner Nemoy Malcolm and their gorgeous son Jaden. Both Krystel and Nemoy suffered from retinoblastoma as children and consequently lost their eyesight. Now they’re little son Jaden is also undergoing chemotherapy, as he too developed retinoblastoma. It’s absolutely tragic. But when I met this family I was filled with hope and positivity. They are constantly out there trying to raise CCIA’s profile and are truly inspirational. All of the families I’ve been blessed to meet so far have reminded me that the late hours or tiring days are worth it – because it’s all contributing to the goal of finding a cure for childhood cancer so no one ever has to go through such pain again.
How can ordinary people like me help CCIA?
Ordinary? No such word! We have so many community event organisers who consider themselves ‘ordinary’ but end up doing extraordinary things for CCIA. No event is too small and every single dollar counts. If you have an idea for an event we always want to hear from you…it could be anything from a morning tea, a movie night, a concert, or a fun run – the sky’s the limit. Outside of grants we receive, these community events help fund the amazing research that unfortunately takes a lot of money to continue.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We don’t need a miracle to cure childhood cancer, just the funds to do it.
If you have any questions about CCIA or want to know how you can get involved either as a volunteer or a fundraiser I’d love to hear from you. Email me on jtrad@ccia.org.au.
We’re always looking for creative people who could offer up their services – with graphic design, photography, videography and so on. So if this is something that also interests you, I’d love to hear from you. It’s also worth checking out our events calendar, as we have loads of challenge events that you can participate in if you’re of the sporty variety!
Also – become our friend on Facebook, that way you’ll be up-to-date with all the exciting things going on at CCIA.
Thanks so much Jess & keep up the great work at CCIA!
Next week I’ll have a post to share about my fun day out at the Sydney Taste Food & Wine Festival, which was awesome by the way. I made a very delicious discovery that day, so stay tuned!!
