PHOTO
A Christchurch school pupil has turned his love for his cousin into a $560 fundraiser for children battling cancer.
Hugo Skinner, 11, took part in Westburn School’s year 7 Hereora Challenge, which asked pupils to find a way to help children in need.
For Hugo, there was one obvious choice. He decided to raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation in honour of his cousin Cooper Smith, who spent much of his childhood undergoing treatment for leukaemia.
Cooper, who lived in Burnham with his grandparents and dad Jonny, was Hugo’s cousin on his mum’s side, and the pair were very close.
“When Cooper was a baby we all lived together at my mum’s house, so Hugo got to help feed him, and as they got older they played together,” Hugo’s mum Elizabeth Skinner said.
Even after the families moved apart, the boys saw each other most weekends, often going out for lunch or taking trips on the tram or gondola with their grandmother.
But Cooper’s cancer treatment meant there were also long periods when the cousins could not see each other.
With his immune system weakened by treatment, even an ordinary childhood bug could keep Cooper away from the people he loved.
“Our lives all kind of revolved around Cooper and his treatment,” Skinner said.
“There were Christmases and birthdays we celebrated on the CHOC (Child Haematology and Oncology Centre) ward, and there were times where the boys didn’t get to see each other for weeks on end because of Cooper’s low immune function and my boys picking up bugs at school.”
Hugo and his brother Roland understood why they sometimes had to stay away and would video call Cooper when they could not visit.
“They were really good big cousins and were very conscientious about taking care of Cooper and making sure he was safe when they were playing.”
When Hugo chose the Child Cancer Foundation for his school challenge, Cooper was in a maintenance phase of treatment.
Soon afterwards, the family learnt his leukaemia had returned for a second time.
Sadly, Cooper died on May 16. He was four years old.
For Hugo, fundraising became a way to honour a cousin he thought was incredibly brave.
“Hugo loved Cooper and thought Cooper was the bravest little boy in the world for enduring what he did,” Skinner said.
“He wanted to fundraise so that other children going through cancer, and their families, could get the support they needed.”
Hugo spent three hours collecting donations at New World Ilam and was amazed by the response.
“He was surprised that he didn’t have to go out of his way to entice people to donate,” Skinner said.
“People saw him sitting there fundraising for Child Cancer Foundation and would make a beeline over to donate.”
Hugo also had Cooper’s Beads of Courage on display while he collected donations, leading to one memorable interaction.
“He found it quite funny that somebody thought they were there selling beads,” Skinner said.
Beads of Courage is a programme run by the Child Cancer Foundation that gives colourful glass and special-edition beads to children with cancer to create a physical story of their medical journey.
By the end of the three hours, Hugo had raised $560.25.
He was surprised he had managed to collect so much in such a short time, and was “very, very pleased”.
Skinner said Hugo is a kind, thoughtful “old soul” who loves drawing, creating characters and stories, playing Roblox and has recently developed an interest in football.
But his experience with Cooper has given him an understanding of childhood cancer that goes well beyond his years.
“It’s a really hard thing to go through, not just for the children but for the people that love them too,” Skinner said.
“And the Child Cancer Foundation is there to support people going through it.”
For Hugo, fundraising is a way to keep Cooper’s memory alive while helping other families facing childhood cancer.