OZZIE ROPER

Hi Ozzie, can you tell us how old you are and what school you go to?

My Name is Ozzie Roper, I’m 8 years old and I go to Tacking Point Public School!

My teacher is Miss Thompson.

What are some of your hobbies and favourite things to do on the weekend?

I love soccer, fishing and swimming. I kind of like running but not really. I’ve been doing a little bit of running lately but it’s not my favourite thing in the world.

Ozzie, you had a very different start to life compared to other children, can you tell us your story?

I did have a little bit of a different start to life to most kids! I was sick when I was 2, I got cancer. No one really knows why I got it and I was a pretty normal kid up to this point. I had a pretty hard time for about a year, but after that it just was a normal part of my life. Kids like me with leukaemia go through years of taking medicine and I had loads of them, too many to count. They saved my life!

You are one very brave and amazing young man. Are you all better now, what do you have to do to make sure it hasn’t returned?

Thank you so much and yes I’m better! I am not yet considered to be ‘cured’ but I’m pretty sure I’m good now, I don’t reckon it will ever come back. I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in April 2017 and I completed treatment in August 2019. I still go to the hospital now to have blood tests, it changes all the time. I would visit lots at the beginning but now it’s not so much, maybe every three months. I’ll do anything I can to make sure it never comes back, it’s horrible! I don’t remember much from the early days but I see kids at the hospital who are sick and it’s really horrible.

Ozzie, you recently did Charlie’s Run for Kids, for those who don’t know, what is this run about?

Charlie’s Run for Kids is a group of people who run 150km over 5 days from Seal Rocks to Dudley. They raise money for a couple of families who have children going through treatment, as well as the John Hunter Children’s Hospital. I have been training and raising money to run the last 5km, it’s been a lot of running training. I don’t really enjoy it much but I love raising money to help them.

Such an amazing achievement, why did you want to do this Run?

I think I just wanted to help, there isn’t really much else you can do. You did some practice for this Run including your first Running Festival in Port, did you love it? How did you feel after the race?

I have run a few times in the Running Festival, but this was the first year I properly trained for it. I felt pretty good, happy to be there. It was pretty hot, but we just kept pushing. I ran with my Dad, I walked twice but not for long. Do you have a list of things you want to do and achieve?

I don’t have a written list, but in my mind I really want to run the 150km one day, or I’d love to be a kid ambassador for Charlie’s Run for Kids. I just want to help other people, those who are having a tough time. So many people helped us, I just wanna give back. I’d also love to meet Latrell Mitchell one day or Mr Beast! Maybe visit Lego Land and go to the Melbourne Zoo!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I grow up I’d love to be a software engineer or a game designer, I love computers. I also love to draw and create things and think these two things go well together.