West Sussex five year old shares cancer story in art installation
A motion activated sculpture of a child will play Sky Barton's story in her own words to passersby
A West Sussex five-year-old is sharing how cancer's affected her life as part of a new art installation.
A motion activated sculpture of a child will play Sky Barton's story in her own words to passersby, highlighting how children under five make up almost half of all new childhood cancer diagnoses.
After a CT scan in 2021 revealed a tumour and fluid on her brain, Sky underwent brain surgery and was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of cancerous brain tumour that mostly affects children.
Her treatment included having chemotherapy drugs injected directly into her brain.
Her mum, Em, said: “Not going outside together with Sky was one of the things I found really hard day-to-day.
"It was difficult to see families with children playing in the park when she was stuck in her room.”
Meanwhile, Sky told Greatest Hits Radio she also missed going to the park: "I like mummy and daddy pushing me on the swing, and my little sister."
Woven from replica chemotherapy wires, the sculptures represent the hundreds of children currently in treatment whose childhoods are effectively on pause.
It comes as Great Ormond Street Hospital fundraises to build a new Children's Cancer Centre, which is being backed by Sky's dad Benedict:
“The Play Team made the experience so much better, they built an instant rapport with Sky and kept her distracted and in a good mood, singing songs and playing games.
"Without them it would have been impossible really, they were integral to our care.
“We often think about people and families going through similar situations to us, so it’s so good to know that there will be this incredible new facility for them.
"When we look back, the care and attitude of everyone was second-to-none but things the Children’s Cancer Centre will offer like improved accommodation, a balcony to get some fresh air, extra space, those things would have made a massive difference to us.”#
Gabi Field, Deputy Director of Public Fundraising at GOSH Charity, added:
“This installation at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park isn’t just about the challenges these families navigate, it’s a call to action to help us fundraise to build the new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
"While the hospital’s incredible clinicians and Play team work tirelessly to bring joy to the wards today, this new centre will provide cutting-edge facilities in a home-from-home environment, so we can go even further to give children with cancer the best chance and the best childhood possible.
“We’re calling on the public to support our ‘Build it. Beat it.’ fundraising appeal so we can provide the world-class facilities these children deserve, giving them the best possible chance to just be children again.”