The Sick Children’s Trust supported my daughter Ruth and son-in-law Ed back in 2010 when they needed somewhere to stay close to their baby boy who ended up needing a heart transplant.
Understandably, having such a poorly son completely took over their lives. Although my wife and I were worried for our grandson Oli, we were also concerned about my daughter and the intense stress she was under so soon after giving birth. There was a whole team caring for Oli, but who was looking after his parents?
When she told us about The Sick Children’s Trust giving her and her husband a place to stay in one of their ‘Homes from Home’, we were relieved that the burden of finding somewhere close to Oli had been lifted. He was being treated at GOSH, which was far away from their home so they would have had to pay for a hotel otherwise.
We were often in London because we wanted to help as much as we could. When we visited the ‘Home from Home’ I was pleased to see there was a living room for families to have some respite after a long day on the ward, the staff were friendly, and everywhere was so clean and comfortably furnished. It eased our minds to know that they had this supportive space to come back to. Our daughter also appreciated having a support network of other parents at the home with children in hospital.
“It eased our minds to know that they had this supportive space to come back to. Our daughter also appreciated having a support network of other parents at the home with children in hospital.”
It also meant we could bring in home-cooked frozen meals to heat up in the evening in the well-equipped kitchen. You never stop being a parent and wanting to support your child, especially in their hour of need.
Our grandson had his heart transplant over ten years ago now and you would not know he has ever been sick. He is very active and sporty!
We are grateful for the support The Sick Children’s Trust gave our daughter and son-in-law. Not only did it give them somewhere to stay for six months free of charge, but it meant we could give parental support too. Even now, all these years later, we are not sure what we would have done without them. We have organised various fundraising events for the charity over the years, and I am now a proud Friend of The Sick Children’s Trust with my regular donation to help them plan for their future.
Richard Dajda
Friends of The Sick Children’s Trust have one very important thing in common: making sure that we can continue to keep families with a seriously ill child in hospital together through their regular donations.
To find out more about becoming a Friend of The Sick Children’s Trust, visit our webpage.