Dancing gingerbread, reindeer and a snowman have helped ring in the Christmas season for the Bendigo Health fundraising foundation, which launched its annual appeal this morning.
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Teale Hammond, aged 12, is the ambassador of this year's fundraising efforts which are aimed at buying peadiatric equipment for a new hydrotherapy pool in the redeveloped Bendigo Hospital Rehabilitation Centre.
Teale spent last Christmas morning in a Melbourne hospital receiving chemotherapy for bone cancer in his leg, which has since gone into remission.
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"This year I'm really looking forward to going to my great-grandparents' Christmas party,'' he said.
Teale received seven months of cancer treatment in Melbourne before he was able to be moved to the Bendigo Health Paediatric Rehabilitation Program.
He lives with his mother Rebecca and father Marshall and three siblings just outside Marong.
Mr Hammond said the family had close ties to the hospital.
"All of our children have been born here including Teale,'' he said.
Teale was born 4-weeks premature and with no heartbeat and was resuscitated at the hospital.
He now walks with a splint on his leg and is working to strengthening it.
Manager of the Bendigo Health fundraising foundation Rachel Mason said the Christmas appeal aimed to raise $100,000 to buy equipment that would help children like Teale recover from operations and other treatment.
"This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and it's very important to us."
The foundation also hopes to purchase child-sized gym equipment to create a mini-gym for the hospital, in addition to the pool's paediatric fitout.
The annual Kids Christmas Concert, which donated $15,000 to the appeal from its takings in 2019, has not been able to be held for the past two years due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Today's event launch on the lawns of Bendigo Health's Lucan Street facility, had some some of that same festive flair, with a live performance of Christmas songs by singer Jade Cuskelly and dancing from Scott's Mascots and Costumes performers.
It was attended by small children who were quick to get into the spirit of the event by dancing and singing along.
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