Back at the hotel in Da Nang, the teams were re-grouped according to their
age range for various psychosocial activities. The children played ‘Monster
Toss’ which encouraged them to talk about their feelings and design their own
earthquake memory stones. The teens were challenged to work as a team
to complete a giant board game while the youth group had to make music
with only the use of their mouths. The adults reminisced about their younger
and ‘wilder’ days in a heart-to-heart sharing session. Before the night ended,
everyone was treated to hot chocolate and marshmallows while watching
Da Nang’s famous ‘fire-breathing’ Dragon Bridge which spans over the Han
River and is situated right across the hotel!
Day Three kicked off with the Gala Night preparations where the families
were given funky props and materials to create their own family identity. It
was a meaningful activity as individuals reflected on the common things that
made them a family. After lunch, the families visited Hoi An Ancient Town, a
UNESCO heritage site, where they had free and easy time to shop and do
some exploration on their own. They also got hands-on and learnt to make
traditional Vietnamese lanterns.
TheGala Night began with a buffet dinner and screening of a photomontage
of the retreat. The highlight of the night was surely the ‘Wild FashionRumpus’
segment where families strutted their stuff on the runway and showcased
their uniqueness. It was especially heartwarming as the families shared the
inspirationbehind their performanceswitheveryone rooting for eachother. The
night ended on a high notewhenSantaClausmade an appearance and gave
out littleChristmas treats to all the children!
On the final day, the families visited a silk village for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour
before returning toSingapore. The families bondedwell during the retreat and
were reluctant to say their goodbyes.
“Thank you CCF for organising the Annual Family
Retreat so that childhood cancer survivors and their
families from Singapore can visit the patients in
Vietnam! The ‘Wild Carnival’ has helped to encourage
the fighting spirits of the young patients who are still
battling cancer, aswell as their parents.We have also
learnt a lot from thisexperienceandhope to see you in
Huenext year again!”
–Dr.ChauVanHa,Oncologist,
PediatricCentre, HueCentral Hospital
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