Back in the summer, Viasat Sweden was contacted by a very special boy called Oliver, whose request has made a difference for children with cancer.
14-year old Oliver was suffering from a brain tumour and he explained that the Childhood Cancer Department at Umeå University, in which he was receiving treatment, had hardly any channels for the sick children to watch. Could Viasat possibly help?
Viasat quickly decided to join forces with Disney and technological system solutions company Hoist to make a suitable package of channels available in the hospital. The installation was completed by early September and to make the day extra special for the children, Hoist, Disney and Viasat arranged a little party for the occasion with cakes. Tragically, Oliver lost his fight against cancer later on in the month.
This devastating news had a big impact on everyone at the office in Sweden. Oliver’s mother was in close contact with the team and made a point of telling them how much Viasat’s effort was appreciated by Oliver, his family and the hospital:
”I have a vision of Oliver up there in his hard rock heaven, how he clenches his fist, then makes a victory sign and lets out a triumphant: ‘YES!’”, Oliver’s mum writes in a moving e-mail. “It feels very special for me as a mum that you are doing this in Oliver’s name.”
Since then, Viasat has decided to continue the partnership with Disney and Hoist, and to install this special channel package in the remaining five childhood cancer clinics in Sweden. Children with cancer often stay in hospital for months on end and while some DVDs are usually made available, the addition of a special package of pay-TV channels is a big help in making the time pass in relative comfort. By Christmas, Viasat will have installed TV in a further two hospitals around the country.
Viasat has also linked to Oliver’s fund on its website; click here to visit the page (in Swedish).