help for cause to treasure

Staff and students at a Brunswick primary school dug deep on Wednesday to raise some treasured funds for a cause close to their hearts.

St Michael’s Catholic Primary School held a Pirate Ship Day fundraiser for the Pirate Ship Foundation, which provides vital funding for research into childhood brain cancer and supports children and their families who are battling the disease.

The cause strikes close to home for the small school community, with pre-primary student Danika Pitts only recently returning to school after undergoing treatment for a brain tumour.

Danika was diagnosed just before her fifth birthday, celebrating her birthday in hospital after surgery, then spending Christmas at Ronald McDonald House in Perth with her family.

The only person in the world to have this type of rare brain cancer, Danika travels to Perth every fortnight for a clinical trial chemotherapy treatment at Perth Children’s Hospital.

Happy to be back home in Brunswick, Danika’s mother Tash approached the school with the idea of holding a Pirate Ship Day fundraiser.

“The school made the day so beautiful,” Mrs Pitts said. “They have been incredible throughout this whole time.”

Danika also embraced the day, having three costume changes to make the most of all the activities. School principal Phillip Rossiter said it was a great school-community day.

“It’s important to support our families,” Mr Rossiter said. “It’s been a really difficult time for them and it takes great courage to go through what they are dealing with.”

The event raised $500, which another school family, Candace and Bruno Porro, matched dollar-for-dollar, taking the total to $1000.