Liam’s Rainbow Foundation, a non-government organisation in honour of seven-year-old Liam Rangasamy, who passed away in August this year, was officially launched during a special gospel musical show at the National Theatre, Mont Fleuri on Friday evening.
It was Liam’s parents, Billy and Erica Rangasamy and his older brother Elli, who unveiled the foundation’s logo before a packed auditorium.
Among guests present included President Wavel Ramkalawan and First Lady Linda Ramkalawan, who is also the patron of the foundation, as well as families and friends.
Also, on stage with the Rangasamy family, were seven of Liam’s friends, each carrying the colour of a rainbow and seven words – kindness, wisdom, joy, inspiration, hope, passion, love; and their interpretation of those words to Liam.
Liam suffered from a rare brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), which is highly aggressive and difficult to treat. It is a rare brain tumour that develops in the brainstem, which is the part of the brain just above the back of the neck and connected to the spine, which affects the nervous system.
During Friday’s show, Liam’s mother, who is also the founder and chairperson of Liam’s Rainbow Foundation, retraced her son’s final months after being diagnosed with the condition in 2020, upon their return to Seychelles from Dubai, where her husband had been offered a new ministerial post.
She said despite several doses of radiation in the United Arab Emirates and later in Canada, her son succumbed to the disease nearly two years after his diagnosis.
Mrs Rangasamy explained the word ‘rainbow’ was fitting for the foundation, as during his final days, Liam informed her he had seen a rainbow through his curtains, and amazingly a rainbow was observed several consecutive days after.
Through gospels, also performed by the couple, families and friends were able to relive Liam’s last final months, including his diagnosis, treatment and ultimate demise in August.
The three-hour show, directed by John Etienne, included the opening prayer by President Ramkalawan, religious sermons and performance by individuals and groups, including the Independent School choir, the Angels choir, Jones Camille with his popular ‘Pilye Mon Lavi’, Jean Ally and his timeless tune ‘En Tan Pour Tou’, as well as Valda Pool with ‘Konbyen Fwa’.
Also present was the nine-member foundation led by First Lady Linda Ramkalawan.
Speaking to media, Mrs Ramkalawan said the foundation will ensure that children and their families going through the same ordeal are provided with emotional support at all times.
“Sometimes when you are going through these circumstances, even if you are getting the physical treatment, you lack the emotional and mental support. So, the aim of the foundation is to ensure we meet those needs,” she said.
Mrs Ramkalawan added that the foundation will also devise activities for the children to make those difficult times bearable. These will be used as a form of distractions to redirect their focus while undergoing treatment.
“We will simulate treatment through play, for example, prior to MRI, we will let them listen to the sounds of the machine so they are not scared when going through it. Or for blood test, using a doll, we can show them how injections are done, so although they know what is expected they will not be scared when going through the process and are therefore better prepared”, she explained.
She added that gifts will also be presented to them after each treatment as a form of encouragement.
The second part of the launch included a digital presentation of Liam’s Rainbow Foundation Playhouse project, which will be built next to the paediatric ward at the Seychelles Hospital. The launch of the foundation ended with presentation and auction of Liam’s unique and special paintings as part of fundraising for the Playhouse project.
Liam was born on June 22, 2015 and died on August 23, 2022.
Other than First Lady as Patron and Mrs Rangasamy as chairperson, the other executive members of Liam’s Rainbow Foundation are Stella Afif as vice-chairperson, Annie Vidot as treasurer, Veronique Chetty and Nelda Rosalie-Joubert as secretary, Angy Leiss, Sylvie Samy and Monica Valentin as executive members.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the launch ceremony.
Source: Seychelles Nation