"If we had not made that decision to try and take Harrison out of hospital I know for sure that Harrison wouldn't be here today. We look back now and wonder how on earth we did it. If we'd have had a WellChild nurse at the time it just would have made a huge, huge difference. It just would have taken away the responsibility of having to fight for things ourselves, and having someone there with the confidence and training to give you the right support would have made a huge difference to our family."
Harrison Holmes was born prematurely and was faced with a host of serious health problems. Early in his life his family was faced with the possibility that he might not pull through and that they would have to say goodbye to him. But Harrison fought for life and came back from the brink. His parents fought to get him home from hospital.
His mum Jo says that the battle would have been so much easier with the help of a WellChild nurse. Today there is a WellChild Children's Nurse in Barrow-in-Furness.
"Having looked at the way in which WellChild fund their team of nurses, and the fact that the funding ensures a long-term resource for families with seriously ill children in each region, it really made sense for me to invest. I would urge as many people as possibly to join me in investing in the future of these children and young people."
Duncan Bannatyne, businessman and star of Dragon's Den is a WellChild Ambassador. He personally paid for the WellChild Children's Nurse in Barrow-in-Furness because he believes in what the nurses do and sees it as an important investment for the future.
"I don't know how we would have managed without Laura's help. She was lovely and really helped me when I most needed it. My accident was traumatic and she was there for me – I know my family would have really struggled without the support of such a caring and professional individual."
Rebecca's dreams of becoming a professional dancer were shattered when she was involved in a speedboat crash which left her with traumatic brain injuries. WellChild Children's Nurse Laura has helped the family find the strength to cope during Rebecca's long fight to get better. When she was well enough Laura helped her get a place at a fantastic rehabilitation centre and showed her parents how to care for her at home.
"Prior to the Wellchild community liaison post, though discharges happened, they were not always planned adequately to allow time for equipment and care to be in place. Since Rhian has been in post, discharge planning meetings for all children with a level of complex needs have been the norm. The ward staff and medical consultants know who to contact regarding the discharge of a child. The families feel supported and also have one point of contact should they have any questions as regards the discharge of their child. Community staff become involved at an earlier stage than previously and generally the whole process of discharge is addressed at a much earlier stage.
I believe that the Wellchild post and Rhian herself have transformed the discharge planning process for children and young people and their families and the professionals involved. Many professionals and families alike have commented positively on both Rhian and her post. We are grateful to Wellchild for funding this invaluable post."
Liz Pendleton manager of Cardiff WellChild Children's nurse Rhian.
"WellChild Nurse Jane is really lovely and friendly I call her my sweetheart."
Haider from Oxford has a host of serious health problems but despite all of this he is a happy, sociable little boy who attends a special school, has a great relationship with his brother and sister. WellChild Nurse Jane Alvey has been a rock for Haider and his family to lean on. She coordinated Haider's discharge home from hospital after surgery and has taught Asma how to use some of the equipment Haider needs so she can help him at home rather than have to go back into hospital.
"There's no place like home". Yet so many children can't be at home because of their complex medical problems. That's where the WellChild Nurse comes in. Facilitating discharge from hospital to home requires a range of skills – clinical, social, persuasive – to bring together all the parties – NHS, Schools, Benefits – in the best interests of the family. The nurse whom we have funded at Addenbrookes in Cambridge does a brilliant job in providing care, support and action. It is the best investment we have made and WellChild was the right charity to support. Healthcare has been my business life – developing, making and selling new medicines. As a past Chairman of WellChild I now see how to make a difference on the front line."
Dr John Padfield is a former Chairman of WellChild. His faith in the great work the WellChild Nurses do was underlined when he became a major donor to the charity – funding our Cambridge WellChild Children's Nurse.
"Our WellChild nurse Jo is great, she has been a huge help. If it had not been for WellChild, Annabelle would not have been able to go to nursery and lead as normal a life as possible. Jo keeps everything rolling, she is a great person and a great shoulder to lean on. WellChild are fantastic!"
Annabelle's mum Sonia says four-year-old Annabelle suffers from Icthyosis – a disease so rare only three people in a million have it which means she can literally shed her skin overnight. WellChild Children's Nurse Jo makes life as bearable as possible for Annabelle and the rest of the family. The family now relies on help from Jo who bandages Annabelle, organises carers, and teaches Annabelle's parents and nursery staff how to properly care for the little girl.
"Seeing parents' smiles return, and witnessing their growing confidence in their ability to look after their own child once again, is one of the biggest rewards of my job. But the best reward of all is seeing the difference I make to the children themselves."
Lucy, WellChild Children's Nurse in Cambridge. Lucy is based at Addenbrookes Hospital.
"Without Elaine, Conor's discharge would be long and drawn out, she is so professional and has an amazing relationship with all of the children and parents. This means that Conor has so much trust in her - I don't know where we'd be without Elaine."
Conor's mum Julieanne says Conor was diagnosed at just a few months old with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and had the most severe form of the condition – 80 per cent of children who have it die before their first birthday and the other 20 per cent usually do not live to the age of two. The help and support the family receive from WellChild nurse Elaine and the TCU at Alder Hey offers a ray of light and hope. Elaine co-ordinated Conor's discharge from the unit so he is now living with his family at home. He arrived the day before his sixth birthday which he was able to celebrate at home.
"I got run over when I was five and spent nearly six months in hospital but there weren't the facilities to get the nursing that these kids get today. The work of the WellChild nurse is massive – who's to know that I might only have been in hospital for four months if they had this scheme when I was younger? It's people like WellChild nurse Elaine who are doing the hard work so we have got to hold our hands up to them – they deserve all the plaudits."
Joleon Lescott, England and Everton defender, joined WellChild Nurse Elaine at the Transitional Care Unit at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool – where he met young people and their families and took the chance to see the essential support provided to seriously ill children by WellChild Children's Nurses around the country.
"Without our WellChild nurse Elaine co-ordinating everything we would be lost and I'm sure that if it hadn't been for her it would have taken significantly longer to get Madison home."
Madison's grandmother Colleen. Two year old Madison spent the whole of her life living on a hospital ward but with WellChild's help she is now home with her mum and dad and the rest of her family where she belongs.
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Increasing numbers of sick children means
more WellChild Nurses are URGENTLY needed.
WellChild has spent more than 30 years reaching out for sick children. Now we are asking you to do
the same as we try to double the number of WellChild Children’s Nurses caring for seriously ill children and young people
across the UK right now.
Every parent knows that caring for any sick child is hard. Caring for a child with a serious illness
or life-threatening condition can be a physical, financial and emotional struggle each and every day – juggling the demands
of family life and never knowing what the next day will bring.
Our aim is for every seriously ill child or young person with a serious or long-term illness to have access
to a WellChild Children’s Nurse and to be cared for at home if at all possible.
We need as many people as possible to join us in our appeal and Reach Out For Sick Children if
we are going to achieve that goal.
The overwhelming evidence shows that most children and their families benefit from being in hospital for
the shortest possible time.
Sometimes hospital stays are essential – but not always. The value of WellChild Children’s Nurses is that
they allow children and young people to leave hospital earlier AND makes sure they have everything they need to be cared for at home.
That way, the emotional, practical and financial problems which can be caused for both the child and the family by long stays in hospital
is limited.
WellChild’s own research showed that, on average, every one of the 150 hospitals we contacted had at least one child
who had been on a ward for more than three months when they could be cared for at home if a WellChild Nurse was available to their family.
Your donation CAN make a difference. Please help.
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