Noah had a public speaking project to prepare for and execute. When handed the assignment we discussed subject options. Noah favoured a “Potential Speech Topic” suggested by his school.
“My hero is……………………….(could be mum or dad)”
I was excited that Noah wanted to talk about his mum and why she’s his hero.
A week later when it came to the crunch of actioning the speech and brainstorming the topic, Noah swiftly changed his mind.
Noah: “Dadda, I don’t want to speak about mummy, I want to speak about Thor!”
Me: “Thor, the action Marvel?”
Noah: “Yeah, he’s my favourite superhero, I want to do it on him”
Me: “Ok buddy, sure. Why don’t you want to talk about your mum anymore?”
Noah: “I might cry in front of everyone.”
Noah and I conversed at length about the benefit of discussing his mum and that it would be healthy for him to cry, even in front of his peers. I sensed he didn’t want to tease apart emotions that murk below the surface.
I wasn’t going to push him into anything he didn’t want to do but I really thought this would be good for our grieving process. Noah is a little too stoic and has been talking less about his emotions as time goes on.
Me: “Hey Monkey, why don’t we prepare for both speeches, you can read them out loud and then make your choice. I will support you 100% on your decision.
Noah: “Ok dad.”
I was really happy with this direction because if he didn’t choose to do his speech on Lou, he and I could still talk about his mum in detail and a structured format through the speech preparation process.
I discussed the approach and considerations with both his teacher and grief councillor which was a validating experience.
We prepped for both speeches until late on Sunday night. It was an emotional process for both of us.
In the morning before school on Monday, he read them both out loud and promptly said:
“Dad, I know which one I want to do!”
I was all ready to support his favourite Marvel, which I had grown to like after learning about what makes this superhero tick. I was certain he would take this option and avoid exposing his heart and vulnerabilities to his colleagues.
“Dad, I want to speak about mummy!”
As composed as I was, I could have lept out of my skin with pride.
What a brave little warrior.
Speech:
In this world, cells make up all living things, including the human body.
With cancer, some cells grow out of control.
When I was five years old, my mum got cancer.
My mum’s bad cells grew out of control and formed tumours.
These tumours made my mum very sick and stopped my mum’s body from working properly.
My mum never gave up!
She said she wasn’t scared of dying but she was scared to leave Evie and me behind without her.
She fought every minute of every day to stay alive. For me.
My mum had many operations. She had lots of chemotherapy and radiation to try and stop the tumours. This treatment made her very sick and lose her hair.
She was still very pretty with no hair.
No matter how sick my mum was, she always smiled at me and cuddled me.Evie and I made her feel better. We were the only medicine that made her feel good.
She tried everything possible to beat the tumours. She never gave up!
Unfortunately, some cancers can’t be stopped.
On the 12th of January 2019, my mummy died.
Everyone loved my mum.
My mum was always happy and smiling.
My mum shared her time with everyone.
My mum was very generous.
My mum was beautiful on the outside but even more beautiful on the inside.
My mum loved dancing and drinking champagne.
Mum wanted to be the best mum in the world.
My mum was the best mum in the world!
I want to be like my mum because my mum is my hero.
My dad says that I am his hero for how brave I am.
But that’s a story for another time.
Leave a comment for Noah so he can read them 🤗……
What an amazing little boy! Lou Lou would be beaming with so much pride.
Thanks, Kate, yeah, Lou would be so proud. xx
Tears so many tears how amazingly Grown up and brave Noah is
♥️♥️♥️♥️
Noah, you rock! An amazing speech.
Yeah, pretty special. x
What an amazing little boy you and Lou have made. Lou really is a hero. So is Noah.
Thanks, Bec, Lou would be beaming with pride, wherever she is…… xx
❤️ Miss her so much
Just beautiful.. .. you have made your mum and dad so proud . .. you have such a beautiful hero who is watching over you xx
Hi Noah
What an excellent speech. Written well and spoken even better.
Fantastic.
Love
Beth
Hi Noah,
I’ve known your Dad, Dom since he was little and you remind me of him so much with your smile, brave spirit and thoughtfulness.
I just read the blog he wrote and saw the video of your speech and I wanted to say congratulations. You are ‘Noah the Brave’, and your Mum Lou was a Hero – I think this means you are a Hero too !
Be SO proud of YOU and give Dad a high 5 for me.
Hugs
Zo
Nooooaaahhhh knocked it out of the park. And yes, your Mum would put some red lippy on and grab a champagne and tell us about it over and over. The only thing that would stop her would be the next thing you do that makes her proud.!
You know what else she’d also be proud of your Dad and how he helped you through this. She’d be bursting with happiness at your bravery in this instance but also your vulnerability and willingness to share a bit of you. But the thing she’d be most proud of is that you have her fighting attitude – never give up! Go you!
Hi Noah we are very proud of you. Your public speaking is going really well… more to the point choosing to speak about your amazing mother was very brave and also a wonderful tribute. Keep up the good work. Hope we get to see you all when the QLD Border re-opens?All the best from Jim, Bec, Lily, Georgie and Hannah Nott.
Dear Noah,
I am so incredibly proud of you and proud to be your Aunty Meg. Your mum was also always so proud of you. You and Evie lit up her life with such Joy. I know that to your mum, her most precious of times was with you. She would give anything to be there with you today, but I know also she will always be with you. She is in you heart and your soul. She is with you everywhere that you go. She is a part of you because everything she had she gave to you. You carry the strength of her soul and the beauty of her presence with you, everywhere that you go. Speaking about your feelings takes courage and what you have done here makes you as courageous as a great wild lion. We loVe you and Evie sO much. What a champ x
Great work Noah!!! Your mum would be so proud of you!!
Sending you a high five from the Netherlands!
Noah! You are amazing! And so so brave. Your mum is watching over you always and would be so proud of you.
I think you might be able to fly Noah
That was an amazing speech
Can’t wait to keep hearing more from you in the future .
I thought I would leave this comment here that was forwarded on by Noah’s school principal. I read it to Noah last night. It’s definitely worth preserving so that Noah or Evie can come back and read it when or if they want.
It was sent by a parent with two girls at the school. One in year 5 and one in year 6.
“Good morning Julie and Nick.
I just read the newsletter and it prompted me on something I really should have sent through last week.
Firstly congratulations on the excellent public speaking competition. All the children were so confident and strong. I have seen how my girls have grown through it – Chloe has been lucky enough to get confidence from the finals process for three years I think? Elise has gone from a little girl who cried at the thought of it, to making the finals and having fun.
One child in particular stood out to me and to all our family, however. The little boy who spoke about his mother shared, in my opinion, one of the most touching, courageous and engaging public speeches I have ever heard. Professionally and earlier in my education I hear and heard so many speakers – politicians, lawyers, CEOs, Secretaries – and, honestly, I can think of few that have had the poise and bravery of that speech, or that moved me so much. I was always taught that public speaking, as opposed to debating, is to engage, move and share with the audience – that it should be memorable. That little boy, by reference to those criteria was absolutely remarkable in the way he delivered that absolutely beautiful content.
All four of us felt this so strongly we simply hoped that somewhere along the line he would get this feedback. At least three of us were in tears as he spoke, yet he maintained a smile and confidence!
It is a credit to everyone involved that he felt safe and supported to deliver it. What a moment for Sacred Heart Mosman community.
Best regards,
Simone”
Quite beautiful and worth keeping that’s fo sho.
Dom