BC Children’s Hospital surf trip connects teens through shared experience
Standing alone on a surfboard, Anna Joy connected to something much larger than herself.
The water off Cox Bay Beach in Tofino was dotted with surfers, among them a group from BC Children’s Hospital’s Oncology and Hematology department and Power To Be. The group, newly introduced to each other and the sport, tackled the waves while the instructors from Pacific Surf School threw up hang tens and handed out high fives.
“You couldn’t tell who was a participant and who was a leader or care taker. Everyone was able to try it out,” says Anna Joy, 16. “The fact that people would take time out of their own lives to do something for somebody else, I find that so amazing. I love to see that if they are helping us to have fun, they are able to have fun as well. Everyone can relate to each other in that experience.”