Late last night, the Love Your Sister team revealed that the total number of donations from today’s Big Heart Project had reached $2 million!
This morning on The Today Show, Samuel and Connie Johnson were able to confirm that the latest figure now stands at over $2.2 million and climbing!
“My heart just burst with pride,” Samuel said of the day. “Ten thousand people came through.”
While originally the plan was to line up the five cent pieces in a row, there were too many so plans changed to simply fill the heart with coins.
“It was just a big heart shaped wishing well where we could reflect on what a cancer free future means to us,” Connie added.
It didn’t take long for the big heart to start sparkling with five cent pieces on the day. However, it will take a little longer for the full amount to be counted by Bendigo Bank.
“The Bendigo Bank are going to take three weeks to count these millions of coins,” Samuel admitted.
“It’s incredible, I just love it!” Connie told The Project panel last night. “There’s so much love here, so much passion and so much hope.”
It’s an incredible achievement for Sam and Connie, but also the many volunteers behind the Love Your Sister team.
While it’s a bittersweet time for the Johnson family, with Connie’s health on the decline, now is a time of celebration and the chance to look back on what they’ve been able to achieve through The Big Heart Project.
They can also reflect on the impact this fundraising will have on other families suffering from cancer.
It was heart-warming to see just how many families came out to support The Big Heart Project in Canberra, with the queue for donations stretching on forever.
“There’s been a line a block long the whole morning,” Sam told TV WEEK.
“We’re surrounded by heart, we’re surrounded by passion, we’re surrounded by hope. It’s amazing,” Connie added.
Sam and Connie take a selfie.
Both Sam and Connie were incredibly moved by the response.
Connie’s reaction when she learnt how much had been raised on the day was priceless.
After all this hard work, we hope the Johnson family enjoy some well-earned rest over the next few days.
