Stevenson House saved us.

(Christopher on the beach post operation)

When we discovered that our young son Christopher would need an operation to remove his eye due to retinoblastoma, we were very concerned about finding somewhere to stay near to the Royal Children’s London Hospital. The operation was scheduled very early in the morning making it highly impractical for us to travel to London on public transport all the way from Epsom with a sick and understandably uneasy child.

However the hospital directed us toward The Sick Children’s Trust’s Stevenson House, right next-door to the hospital. This allowed us stay together as a family the night before Christopher’s operation, removing the added stress of travel arrangements on this already worrying day. Having a safe, comfortable and friendly place where we could cook meals and have a bath was a godsend. It also really helped us settling Christopher the night before his operation.

Christopher absolutely loved the house; he could play quietly and watch TV away from the busy hospital environment. The staff members in the ‘Home from Home’ were so welcoming and were fantastic with Christopher and while he refused to eat in the hospital he was happy to eat at the home as it felt like a normal environment. The staff’s little touches like providing him with a ‘Finding Nemo’ soft toy helped distract Christopher from the nature of his trip. The house manager was fantastic and very approachable she always found time to talk with us and was a big hit with Christopher.

It was also really beneficial for us as parents to spend time with other families staying in the house. We had dinner with those who understood the anxiety of having a sick child and as a group we shared our experiences, helping to lessen the isolation and fear we felt during this stressful time. Staying at the house was incredibly helpful as the ward had no facilities for family members whatsoever; having somewhere that we could take turns to wash and rest made the entire experience far more comfortable.

Christopher is now a happy, healthy six year old. We have stayed at Stevenson House on a number of subsequent occasions when Christopher has needed checkups and it is always a pleasant experience. We feel such gratitude towards The Sick Children’s Trust for providing this help when we were at our most vulnerable and frequently donate toys and money in the hope that more families can access this much needed support.

Victoria Payne, Christopher’s Mum