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After watching his mother brave months of aggressive chemotherapy treatment, Mike Sharman was determined to bring a smile and a giggle to his mom, Jos, and her fellow patients on the day of her last chemo session.
My mom’s last day of chemo. So we sourced bare-bum waiters, and served ice cream and grape juice to the ward and nurses. It was a well and truly festive vibe ?? pic.twitter.com/SfXrJhV5bR
— Mike Sharman (@mikesharman) November 28, 2022
There were giggles and blushes as a pair of buff waiters wearing only bowties and tiny aprons appeared with ice-cream, grape juice and cake for Jos and the other chemo patients.
“It was a moment of respite from the seriousness," says Mike (39), a marketing executive and author.
"It’s not going to change the world. It'll just bring a little bit of happiness. Just for a moment. You don’t have to do crazy big things to be kind – sometimes all it takes is a little bit of cake, some grape juice and a bare bum!”
Mike, who'd lost a close friend who was in her 30s to cancer, decided to make a celebration of his mother's final chemo session.
He'd initially planned to bring her a cake and balloons, but a friend suggested using the near-naked waiters, "as that would bring a smile to her, and it'd make people in the ward happy, regardless of how tough their situation is".
Jos was first diagnosed with cancer when Mike was 12, and had a lumpectomy and radiation treatment. A few years ago, Mike says, she had to have a double mastectomy, and she's been in a treatment for several years.
Early last year, Jos had to undergo another round of chemotherapy over the course of 12 weeks, but that ended up being extended through most of last year.
It wasn't easy for any of them and Mike recalls the first time Jos was diagnosed. "As a child you have a little bit of fear that your mom might pass away, and you start trying to distance yourself from her.
"I think it created quite a bit of mistrust, wondering 'is your parent going to die?'. And as a kid, when you hear 'cancer', you think it's terminal."
Luckily they worked through the tough times. "We're very fortunate to have had a strong support system."
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Chemotherapy is a difficult treatment, and patients often have to sit alone for hours. For those who don't have relatives or friends with them, it can be a lonely and painful experience. The appearance of the Bare Butt Butlers was a welcome respite amid the heavy moments.
Mike made a speech, thanking the Netcare Milpark Hospital staff for caring for Jos, and thanking them and the patients for letting him arrange the surprise treat.
Jos is continuing her treatment, and will have to take medication for the next five years.
