Some of the worlds wealthiest families are donating hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral. Is this an example of kindness or an example of how screwed up we are?

For many April 15,2019 will be remembered as the day that fire broke out in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, people watched with sadness at what everyone thought would be the end to a priceless piece of world history.   Then it happened, Bernard Arnault rode in on his white horse to donate 200 million euros, not to be outdone by his rival Francois-Henri Pinault who pledged to match the donation of the Arnault family, soon Patrick Pouyanne pledged 100 million euros. By Wednesday over a billion dollars had been offered up to rebuild.

For others, April 15,2019 will be the day that their child was diagnosed with cancer, for others the day their child took their last breath, for many the 72 hours following this disaster will be the moments that faith in humanity began to fade.

We have heard over the past few days people say over and over again that the Notre Dame is priceless, it’s beauty something that touched peoples lives in indescribable ways.  I have no doubt that this piece of architecture has touched the lives of countless individuals but is it priceless? NO! I can, however, tell you what is truly priceless! and that is human life. Of course as the parent of a child suffering due the monster that is cancer, I shake my head and think  if Bernard Arnault, Francois-Henri Pinault, Patrick Pouyanne and the other elite rich had gotten together and said “you know what we need to put an end to this monster that stealing the lives of over 90 thousand children each year, we need to show a united front and be remembered in history as the families that played a part in saving the lives of children, instead of being remembered as the families that chose to value brick and mortar over the lives of children”.

I have no doubt that there are many people who share in my confusion, childhood cancer is just one of the many many humanitarian landscapes that would have been changed in profound ways by the influx of a billion dollars. Perhaps I am just bitter that my child is one of the two and a half million children that have been diagnosed over the past ten years, maybe each time I have to say goodbye to another beautiful child I leave a piece of my heart with them. I remember the moment each of my children was placed in my arms, the unspoken promise to always protect them.

Maybe we are not being fair to the families that have stepped up to rebuild the Notre Dame because if our own governments do not see our children as worth more than 5% of cancer research dollars than why would anyone else?

One picture of the aftermath of the fire stands out to me, in stark contrast to the charred rubble stands the cathedral’s golden altar cross. I can admit that my faith in God has been tested time and time again to a point where my religious convictions are perhaps changing from what I once called Faith to what I believe is better described now as Hope. I know some believe that the cross still standing is a sign from God that he is with us. If that is true then perhaps we need to look at the fire as a sign from God as well telling us that “we can’t see the forest for the trees”, that we are losing sight of what is truly important and that is empathy and compassion.

The reality is it was just a fire, a fire that changed the landscape of Paris, just as childhood cancer has changed the landscapes of countless lives and where the Notre Dame can be rebuilt and the landscape returned to that which it was the day before the fire, no amount of money can restore the families lives to what they were before hearing the word cancer and their child’s name in the same sentence.

I may not be a billionaire but I do have things within my life that are in fact priceless, a recipe of sorts.  I possess True Empathy, Compassion and I have no problem admitting that mixed within that is anger, topped off with the strength I have gained from witnessing the resilience and courage of children who have fought this monster. Most importantly is I have an army behind me of warrior parents all fighting for the same thing……..“YOUR” children! yes yours, not ours, see that is the thing we all know that the research we are fighting for won’t help our children but it could help yours………….Your welcome.