Run for the Kids about so much more than getting fit

Two years ago, life was very different for 13-year-old schoolboy Houston Larcart.

R4K

Two years ago, life was very different for 13-year-old schoolboy Houston Larcart.

The cricket-mad teenager from Caroline Springs, who this year started year seven, had been feeling pretty unwell and generally run-down. His symptoms looked a lot like glandular fever, but when his parents took him to see a doctor for a blood test to confirm it, everything changed.

“I was at work and they called Julianne [Houston’s mum] to say she needed to take him in for an appointment urgently. She rang me in tears, they told her that he needed to get out of school immediately and to ring an ambulance to take him to hospital,” Houston’s father Michael tells the Herald Sun.

“We got there and the doctors were trying to calm things down, they said they needed to do more tests. When you’re sitting in that room and you get that diagnosis - I remember who was in the room, I remember it all. When they tell you it’s leukaemia and they’re explaining it you kinda have that shell-shock.”

The then-11-year-old had acute myeloid leukaemia, which is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. According to the Leukaemia Foundation, about 50 children aged 0-14 are diagnosed in Australia each year, and it’s more common in boys than girls. It causes things like persistent tiredness, dizziness, frequent infections, slow healing, unexplained bleeding and bruising and pain.

Mr Larcart says the family spent “pretty much six months” living in the oncology ward of the Royal Children’s Hospital while Houston went through round after round of chemotherapy.

The hospital became like a second home

“When your child’s going through that, you’re either there with them going through it, or you’re thinking about them going through it. Even at work, I was always thinking about it,” he says.

He says the team at the hospital and the other parents in the ward made all the difference.

“They’re a different type of nurse, in the oncology ward. Nothing was ever too hard, they really calmed us down and made it seem all OK. The first round was the worst, we got through that. After that, the other rounds, they weren’t nice, but they were better,” he says.

“You just do it because you do, because you have to. You don’t think about it. When you look back, you think, wow. The hospital makes it work for you, the nurses being helpful, the other parents. You can relate to it and learn about what they’re going through and how you can get through it too.

“Next thing you know, you’ll see a parent with that same shell-shocked look you used to have and you can tell them, ‘Welcome aboard’.”

Inside Royal Children’s Hospital’s operations

From 2017-18, the Royal Children’s Hospital processed 86,143 emergency department presentations, 50,228 admissions to wards and the day medical centre, and performed 17,984 surgeries - including 12 heart transplants. It cared for an average of 460 children per day through RCH@Home.

It’s a busy and important part of Melbourne’s social landscape, but of course, it’s incredibly expensive to run. Funds from events like Run for the Kids, which raises money for the Good Friday Appeal, are very important.

“Run for the Kids holds a special place in the hearts of many Victorian and its success is a constant example of the commitment of the community to our sickest and most vulnerable children,” Sue Hunt, chief executive office of the RCH Foundation, told the Herald Sun in a statement.

“Every dollar raised will support a new state-of-the-art intraoperative three dimensional imaging system, providing clinicians and surgeons access to highly-detailed real-time scanning during surgery.

“By supporting Run for the Kids, you are helping to ensure the hospital remains at the forefront of paediatric healthcare, delivering world-leading care to patients.”

There’s never been a better time to get involved

The Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids is a great excuse to get fit, get involved, and support the hospital. The event, which takes place on Sunday April 7, has two course options that both start and finish in the Docklands. The long course is 12.8km and starts at 9am, while the Woodlea short course is 5.2km and starts at 10.15am.

Woodlea is one of the fastest-growing housing developments in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Project director Matthew Dean says it sponsored the short course because it’s on a mission to “create Australia’s healthiest community”.

“Woodlea places its community at the heart of everything it does, with the sponsorship of Run for the Kids Short Course no different,” he told the Herald Sun in a statement.

“Many members within the community and surrounds have young children themselves who have been cared for by the Royal Children’s Hospital at some point in their life, whether recently or many years ago - it is for this reason that we chose to sponsor an event that does a world of good, while encouraging our community to become healthier and fitter versions of themselves, both physically and mentally."

Everything at Woodlea is designed to support better living, from the diversity of the homes to the use of the landscape to the spirit of the neighbourhoods. It’s the best of the western suburbs. Learn more.

Originally published as Run for the Kids about so much more than getting fit