On January 17, a quiet battle took place among the members of the T&T Defence Force, as soldiers, coast guard and air guard officers pitted against each other to try to impress a 10-year-old boy. The boy, Kamron Hinds, a Sangre Grande resident, is a patient at the Wendy Fitzwilliam paediatric hospital in Mt Hope and is fighting his own battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of cancer.
Kamron, who is one of over 50 children being supported in the Just Because Foundation’s “Courageous Kids” programme was diagnosed with the cancer last year. He has experienced intermittent hospital stays, and will most likely miss school until the new term in September as he is treated for his illness. In an interview last week, Kamron’s mother Michelle described her son as a driven young man, who has wanted to be a soldier for as far as she can remember.
Asked why he wanted to be a soldier, she said it was very likely because of the video game Call of Duty.
Realising dreams
The Just Because Foundation, headed by Chevaughn and Noel Joseph, began a “Wishing Well” initiative last year. In an interview at her home in Diego Martin, Chevaughn said the wishing well initiative was about making sure the children had positive thoughts which would contribute to their wellness. “We interviewed the kids last year and one of the questions was if you had one wish, what would it be,” Chevaughn said.
“We realised that a lot of the things the children wished for, was simple things that we could do. “All the kids have a different dream, a different wish and we will do things one step at a time to make sure we can make their wishes come true.” The programme, which attempts to grant wishes in support of wellness, is a process where children are interviewed and the foundation, through the support of citizens, community members and sponsors, contribute to make a child’s wish come true.
Kamron, isn’t the first child to receive a wish in the programme. Last year, three-year-old Kaelon said all he wanted to do when he grew up was “eat cake.” This wish was granted in the form of a huge birthday cake sponsored by an employee of the Kiss baking company, while 17-year-old Stephon, who always dreamed of travelling to another country, was gifted with a trip to Barbados with his mother. The tickets were donated by Caribbean airlines.
Kamron’s day wish was slightly different to accomplish, but turned into a strategically fun day which he and his brother Keagon still describe as the “best day ever.”
Soldier at heart
Civil Military Affairs Officer of the T&T Defence Force, Major Al Alexander, said the entire Defence Force was more than happy to get involved to grant Kamron’s wish. He said when correspondence was passed on to Chief of Defence Staff Brig Gen Kenrick Maharaj, his only instruction was to go all out to ensure Kamron had a memorable and enjoyable day. “Although we were told Kamron intended to become a soldier, we took the opportunity to show him the entire community,” Alexander said.
“The different arms of the Defence Force got involved, and there was a bit of competition to see who could impress him the most.” Kamron’s day, which he shared with his brother and parents, began with a surprise visit at the hospital, from where he was given a military escort to the Western peninsula to visit the Coast Guard base, at Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas.
He was allowed on to two vessels and witnessed the tail end of an operation. Kamron was then taken to the regiment base at Teteron, Chaguaramas where he had target practice, shooting blanks, before going on a helicopter ride to Piarco to meet the Air Guard. “We are looking at different ways to continue our relationship with Kamron. He is really a soldier to his heart.”
He said the military’s experience with Kamron was a “real feel good moment” for the organisation and was an example of the different ways the organisation could serve the public.