Clubs band together to help sick children

Hundreds of sick children across the Central Coast will be given a dose of super strength, thanks to the generosity of Wyong Leagues Club, Club Umina, Diggers at The Entrance and The Doylo, with the clubs coming together recently to donate 400 Supertees, specially designed medical garments disguised as superhero costumes, to Gosford and Wyong hospitals.

The Supertee is the brainchild of former tradie Jason Sotiris who saw the need for a more user-friendly medical garment for children when his own daughter was in hospital with a rare form of cancer.

“When my daughter Angela was sick with cancer, I felt helpless not being able to do the simple task of putting clean clothes on her with IV drips, chest monitor cables and central lines making it impossible,” he said.

“I knew there had to be a better way.”

The medical garments open under the arms for easy thermometer access, have evenly placed press studs that can be opened around tubes and lines, meaning they can be taken off and changed without becoming tangled and are PET scan and MRI friendly.

“We all know that feeling we get when we dress nice, we’re trying to give sick children that feeling when they are facing serious health battles and hopefully boost their morale and encourage some imaginative play at the same time,” Sotiris said.

“With everything that sick kids have to go through in hospital, let’s give them something that they can be proud of wearing, that can help put a smile on their face.”

Sotiris thanked the generosity of those involved in making the donation possible.

“The biggest thing that I am proud of is when you see organisations like these four clubs come together to support their community,” he said.

“I am so grateful for the support of the clubs and the involvement of employees who have volunteered their time to pack hundreds of Supertees into care packages, ready to be given free of charge to children who need them.”

Supertee has donated medical garments to tens of thousands of children in hospitals across Australia and the charity is relying on the generosity of the community to help reach its goal of donating 16,000 Supertee care packs this year.

Donations can be made at supertee.org.au/donate