Marvel superhero actor Chris Hemsworth was so moved by a heart warming initiative by Greek Australian Jason Sotiries that he and his co-star Brie Larson jumps on-board to support and promote his SUPERTEE cause.
Supertee is a super hero T-shirt initiative that helps uplift the spirits of sick children during their health and medical challenges, by acknowledging them as real life super heroes given the adversities they face.
The initiative was inspired by the real life story of Sotiris' beautiful daughter Angela who at one year;s old was diagnosed with cancer.
At the time, Jason, a self-employed tradie, held his daughter close as the doctor broke the devastating news. Scans found tumours throughout Angela’s tiny body, and she was given a 20% chance of beating what was a rare, 1 in 100,000 disease.
Months of traumatising treatment followed, as Jason and his family desperately sought options for their beloved child. One night, Jason was observing his daughter’s IV drips, heart monitors, and central lines when she woke suddenly and vomited due to the potency of her chemotherapy.
As Jason waited for a nurse to come, he attempted to carefully change Angela into clean clothes. This proved difficult and only seemed to upset Angela more. Afterwards, as his daughter settled back to sleep, Jason had a great idea. He wanted to create a garment that could be changed easily whether the patient was awake or asleep. Not only would this make life easier for nurses and parents, but it would also reduce stress for patients during difficult times.
Jason presented his vision to a good friend, and both men decided to invest in the idea. A prototype of the Supertee was created, with guidance provided by the hands-on nurses in the hospital system. This great product was launched in June 2018 at the same hospital that had cared for Angela! During this extremely challenging time, this was a special moment that Jason and his family cherished.
Since its inception, Supertee has helped thousands of Australia’s sickest children and their parents. There are 200+ volunteers involved in supporting Supertee nationwide. Over $500,000 has been donated, and more than 8,000 Supertees have been delivered so far. Supertee won the Australia good design award for social impact in 2019, and the charity continues to grow by leaps and bounds thanks to supporters across the country.
The beautiful initiative didn't go unnoticed when suddenly the Sotiris family,received a call this year from Disney wanting to collaborate — in turn catching the attention of Chris Hemsworth.
“I had to pinch myself. I really couldn’t believe I was talking to the makers of the movies we love so much and to now have our kids in hospital become come Avengers themselves and for Chris Hemsworth and Brie Larson to show their support is a dream come true,” Jason said speaking to news.com.au.
Both Chris Hemsworth and Brie Larson declared themselves huge fans of the charity and recorded a special video for when children receive their Supertee.
“Hello kids, now I have heard you’re getting something very, very special,” Chris says about the two new Supertees.
“Do you know what that means,” he continued.
“It means you have officially achieved hero status,” Brie added.
“And you are the greatest and the strongest … when I put on my costume in the Avengers it makes me feel like I can take on anything,” Chris said.
“So the Avengers are behind you every step of the way, we are here for you, we love you, so stay strong, stay brave, stay courageous — we will see you soon.”
