All,
I thought I would send you an update about my visit to the Bristol Children’s Hospital when I handed over the cheque from RB08 to the Above and Beyond Charity.
I meet Helen Morris the Senior Matron who coordinates the children cancer units throughout the South West (Gloucester to Swindon, to the Scillies, a huge area) at the Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Department in Bristol Children’s Hospital, which is the centre of seven units throughout the region. They had organised a photographer, people from the charity and those who provide the complimentary therapy services to meet me there.
I was shown around the unit as they explained what a difference the complimentary services they offer makes to both the patients and their parents. The work they do at the bone marrow transplant unit is incredible and there were a number of both fantastic and tragic stories of some of the boys and girls who were receive treatment when I visited. The youngest child in the unit was six weeks old. You only needed to see the parents faces to know how their child was doing.
I bumped into the father of a 10 year old boy who was waiting to see his son. His son, who has leukaemia, was in the isolation ward so I was unable to talk to him. On the day I visited it was his 100th day in the unit. I could see his son through the glass, he had tubes everywhere, was unable to eat other than intravenously. His father told me there had been a few problems with his reaction to earlier treatments which is why his son had been there so long and they were preparing him for another round of chemotherapy.
His dad told me that the massages his son received from one of the girls that I was with, paid for by the charity, had really helped his son to ease pain and relax him but just as importantly helped relax his mother, if only for a few minutes, as the charity offers these services to both the patient and the parents.
I came away incredibly impressed by the work that the unit does, inspired by the team of people who I meet and the work they do and pleased that in some small way we have been able to help.
Thanks to all who have supported us and to the marvellous staff at the Above & beyond Charity.
I meet Helen Morris the Senior Matron who coordinates the children cancer units throughout the South West (Gloucester to Swindon, to the Scillies, a huge area) at the Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Department in Bristol Children’s Hospital, which is the centre of seven units throughout the region. They had organised a photographer, people from the charity and those who provide the complimentary therapy services to meet me there.
I was shown around the unit as they explained what a difference the complimentary services they offer makes to both the patients and their parents. The work they do at the bone marrow transplant unit is incredible and there were a number of both fantastic and tragic stories of some of the boys and girls who were receive treatment when I visited. The youngest child in the unit was six weeks old. You only needed to see the parents faces to know how their child was doing.
I bumped into the father of a 10 year old boy who was waiting to see his son. His son, who has leukaemia, was in the isolation ward so I was unable to talk to him. On the day I visited it was his 100th day in the unit. I could see his son through the glass, he had tubes everywhere, was unable to eat other than intravenously. His father told me there had been a few problems with his reaction to earlier treatments which is why his son had been there so long and they were preparing him for another round of chemotherapy.
His dad told me that the massages his son received from one of the girls that I was with, paid for by the charity, had really helped his son to ease pain and relax him but just as importantly helped relax his mother, if only for a few minutes, as the charity offers these services to both the patient and the parents.
I came away incredibly impressed by the work that the unit does, inspired by the team of people who I meet and the work they do and pleased that in some small way we have been able to help.
Thanks to all who have supported us and to the marvellous staff at the Above & beyond Charity.
Regards,
Paul.
