Eckersley House provided us with a sanctuary By Helen Meynell, Lewis’s mum

When our son Lewis was born in York Hospital in January 2011 he had to be transferred straight away to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI). He was suffering from Gastroschisis, a condition which meant his bowels and intestines were born on the outside of his body and he needed immediate attention.

We were made aware of his condition during an early scan but were still not fully prepared for what lay ahead. Whilst Lewis was transferred to the LGI me and my partner, Andrew, couldn’t follow him until the next day. When I arrived at the hospital I was placed back onto a ward as I still required additional post birth care but Andrew had to sleep on the floor on a mattress.

As you can imagine the situation was not ideal but thankfully because we had known that there was a possibility of us being transferred we had already researched our options and found The Sick Children’s Trust. Four days later both Andrew and I moved into Eckersley House.

On his initial night at the LGI, Lewis had his first operation which appeared to be a success but then six weeks later at a scan to check he had healed properly, the doctor found more blockages in his intestine and we were told he would need a second operation to rectify this. We had to wait six more weeks to see if Lewis had recovered and unfortunately once again, there was another blockage and he was taken back to intensive care.

During this time, Andrew and I remained at Eckersley House. I can’t tell you the relief we felt knowing that we were literally just across the road from him should he need us. We initially thought that we would be back home in Scarborough after two months but he wasn’t recovering as fast as we had hoped which meant we had to extend our stay.

We were missing our families as we were used to them being close by, so having them visit us at the house helped no end and they gave us reassurance as new parents that we were doing everything we could for Lewis. Mentally and emotionally it was wonderful to be around familiar people. We could bring them into the lounge and sit and have a cup of tea together and chat about what was happening, it was almost like being at home, especially when our parents came to stay.

After Lewis’s third operation, he was in intensive care for more than a week. He was slowly getting better but then he reacted adversely to a drug and his progress went rapidly down hill. He had to be put on a ventilator as he couldn’t breathe on his own.
I was getting really worried about him so took his grandpa over to see him who had been staying at the house with us and after that he perked up. I really do believe that having his family around and so close had a positive affect on his health.

Staying at the house for us has been great. We can get some sleep away from all the beeps and noises of the ward. When I was first in hospital the nurses were coming in and out all the time so I didn’t get much sleep. Staying at Eckersley House has helped to get my sleeping pattern into a better routine so I can wake up refreshed and focus all my energy on Lewis. He was taken away from me so quickly that all I had time for was a quick cuddle when he was first born, but being here I can spend all my time with him and we can bond, which as a first time mum is very important for me.

There is always a friendly environment in the house with other families. Everyone gets along and clubs together to support each other as we are all in the same situation with sick children. There was one family from our home town that I became quite good friends with and we shared the learning of Total Parenteral Nutrition together. This is a procedure that provides liquid nutrition through a catheter that is inserted into a vein and I needed to learn how to do this for Lewis. This gave me more confidence that when I will have to do it on my own when we go home, it will be okay.

The house manager Jane has also been a rock. She has become like a surrogate mum to me and taken me under her wing. She reassured me about Lewis and also showed real concern for our situation. I know I can talk to her about anything from finding a local store in Leeds, to more emotional topics such as coping with being a first time mum.

Lewis is now doing much better and is on solid food three times a day and only fed through a tube 14 hours a day. He is getting much stronger and will hopefully be ready to go home soon.

The day that changed our life.

What started as a routine check-up led to our son Dylan being hospitalised for 6 ½ months when he was just 14 months old. He suffers from a rare condition called Larsen syndrome in which his bones do not grow properly. He had to have a tracheostomy and a spell in intensive care, at Newcastle General Hospital. I stayed in the ward with him for the whole time. My husband David wasn’t able to stay but he visited frequently even though it took two buses each way.

Dylan, who is now seven years old, has been in and out of hospital ever since, and in May this year he had a seven hour operation to have the bones in his foot broken and realigned. A frame was attached to the bones in his foot with a screw which we have to turn to help realign the bones gradually. That operation was at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, and as its three hours away from where we live, we were delighted to be able to stay at Treetop House.

David and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Dylan and it was amazing that The Sick Children’s Trust could provide us with a secure and comfortable place to stay just minutes from his bed. Where possible we tried to make sure Dylan was never alone, so one of us would be on the ward while the other was in Treetop House. At night I’d sleep on the ward, and then go back to Treetop House to shower and freshen up while David sat with Dylan.

Even though Dylan’s used to being in hospital, he still finds it frightening, especially before an operation, and so he needs us to be with him as much as possible. Having the direct phone to the hospital was especially reassuring. If Dylan wouldn’t settle or needed comforting it was fantastic knowing that we were on call and were never more than a couple of minutes away. I would say that having us so close to Dylan definitely helped him recover; he was home a week after a major operation.

The actual house was lovely, it didn’t feel like a hospital, it was so much cosier and friendlier. It also had cooking and laundry facilities so we were able to visit the local supermarket and stock up on food for the week. At mealtimes it was quick and easy to just pop something into the microwave and it saved us money on expensive hospital food. Having our own ‘Home from Home’ also meant that my family were able to visit Dylan from Newcastle, and I could prepare lunch for them. As Treetop House is situated within the hospital Dylan was also able to visit us - in fact he liked the house so much he didn’t want to go back to the ward! He liked the playroom which is equipped with toys as well as a television and computer.

The Sick Children’s Trust staff were very friendly and I really appreciated all the practical help they gave us. It was also good to have other parents in the house. Even though they had problems of their own, they were all supportive and I found it comforting to be with people who understood what we were going through. I struck up friendships with two parents at Treetop House and I am still in touch with them.

Dylan’s operations have been successful and he’s doing well but he will always have Larsen syndrome and face more stays in hospital. We have to visit Sheffield Children’s Hospital once a week at the moment - we stay in hotels the night before as the appointments tend to be at 7 in the morning.

It is so difficult for children when they go to hospital and Dylan has really benefited from having his family around him. I know that Treetop House can be full so I’m really grateful that we were able to stay. I can’t thank The Sick Children’s Trust enough for their support during this hard time.

Victoria Marshall, Dylan’s mum

Travis pulled through thanks to the support of The Sick Children's Trust

Our son Travis was born at 24 weeks old in our local hospital in Luton and Dunstable. A few weeks after the birth though it became apparent to the doctors that something wasn’t right and he was in severe pain in his stomach.

At only two and a half weeks old the doctors put him on medication to try and treat him but they soon realised that this wasn’t working as effectively as they had hoped, so he was transferred more than 30 miles away from our home in Stevenage to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

I went with him in the ambulance whilst my partner Roger followed by car.
When we arrived at the ward, Travis was settled in and the doctor told us that they wanted to monitor him before making a decision on whether or not to proceed with the surgery.

Initially I was allowed to stay on the ward for a few days but I was told that if a child was brought in from further away than us or in a more critical condition we would be moved. Luckily we were able to stay for three days, so this answered the initial stress of the question of where we going to sleep that night.

After three nights we had to make the heart wrenching decision to leave Travis and go home. As we didn’t know about The Sick Children’s Trust and Acorn House we felt we had no option but to make the 60 mile round trip every day for the next 12 days. The stress of doing this was immense, but we had three other children to care for and consider.

In the middle of December the doctors told us that the medication still didn’t appear to be working, and one month after he was born the decision was made for Travis to undergo surgery.

The hospital found me accommodation for one night so that I could be there when Travis woke up but then we had to go back to the round trip to home every day for the next three months.

I can’t even begin to tell you the gut wrenching feeling of being torn between your newborn baby who you desperately want to be there for, and your younger children who wonder where mummy and daddy are going each day.

After his surgery Travis was moved to a ward where I was allowed to sleep by his side and it was here that we learned about The Sick Children’s Trust’s Acorn House. We decided to try for a room so that my partner could stay here and bring over our other children who were just 18, 14 and two. We were worried about the effect it would have on Warren, our two year old in particular, as he was so young.

Having to cope with a toddler in this type of situation was so stressful. Luckily with my eldest being 18, she looked after Holly during the week and then Holly and Danielle would come join us at Acorn House at the weekend, but Warren was different. I couldn’t explain to him what was going on and he didn’t like being on the wards and we didn’t really want to put him through that, and let him see his little brother in that environment.

Acorn House was a life saver for us. Warren loved spending time in the playroom and also in the garden. It was a relief to me to be able to cook him healthy meals here too, and at the weekend when the girls would visit we could all spend time together as a family.

Travis was too sick to come to the house at first and I was only allowed one hour breaks with him away from the ward, but even if it only meant spending 20 minutes in the house it was worth it. To have Warren engrossed in a DVD whilst I fed Travis gave me the sense of normality I was craving so badly.

I also used the rooms to express milk; private space was great. And the phones in the room meant that I could contact the ward to let them know that I was on my way over with food. The washing facilities were also a necessity for us. Travis’s condition meant that he had a short gut and couldn’t digest food properly so he used to leak out onto his clothes. Initially, one of the main reasons we had to drive back and forth from home each day was to do the washing but with the facilities at Acorn House it meant we didn’t have to worry about this and every precious moment could be spent with our children.

Travis is home now and exceeding all expectations. When you have a sick child, as well as all the family and emotional issues you go through, you don’t really think about the practical side of things such as the cooking and cleaning, not to mention finances. Having four children meant I needed space for my children and Acorn House made our life so much easier. I just wish we had known about it sooner.


Angela Hamilton, Travis’s mum

We finally got our happy ending.

As every pregnant woman does, I had a romantic vision of what becoming a mum would be like. I saw my husband and I leaving the hospital with a baby carrier and balloons with our newborn baby ready to start our new family life together. So, when I went into labour 10 weeks early in December 2010, I knew things would not happen the way I had hoped and life would never be the same again.

Emily was born on Christmas Eve 2010 weighing only 3lb 11oz. Within a few weeks of her birth we were told the most shocking news that any parent could imagine; Emily had a life-long illness, cystic fibrosis.

After moving between several different hospitals, Emily needed surgery and was transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, over 50 miles from our home in North Yorkshire. For the first week we travelled the stressful journey daily in all weathers just to spend a few hours with her, but the cost of petrol and my husband’s work pressures meant we couldn’t continue to do so.

Chatting with one of the nurses on the neonatal unit we were told of accommodation within the hospital grounds that had rooms for parents, free of charge, so we could be close to Emily. Everything was arranged for me to stay at the house so Mark could return to work. One afternoon I was taken over to Crawford House, a ‘Home from Home’ funded by The Sick Children’s Trust with a fully equipped communal kitchen, living room and a laundry.

At first I was so nervous, I was worried what the charity house would be like, I didn’t want to be alone whilst my daughter was so sick, would I be safe there on my own? I imagined it to be like student accommodation with sticky carpets, dark corridors and dirty bathrooms. These worries couldn’t have been further from the truth, the house was welcoming, big and airy and above all clean and safe.

The staff were so considerate and gave me a room where there were no families so I didn’t have to lay in bed at night listening to other peoples’ babies crying whilst I wished I had mine with me.

My room was freshly decorated and warm, and I felt safe as soon as I closed the door. The bathrooms were spotless and the shower was better than the one I had at home. The first night I met some of the other families staying there. I heard of sadness and fear as well as determination and strength. That night I cried not just for my own situation but also for the other families and their own sad stories.

Until that day I never knew Crawford House existed but in just 12 hours I saw how amazing this charity home was for so many people. The Sick Children’s Trust allowed me to be with my daughter whenever I wanted and for the first time I could be a mum for Emily and do simple, caring tasks like breastfeed her or just give her a cuddle. This was really important as I didn’t feel like I knew her yet.

Many nights when I couldn’t sleep I would walk over to the unit and sit and chat with her, something I couldn’t have done if I was 50 miles away. I finally started to get to know this strong minded little person and didn’t have to worry about anything but being there. With Crawford House having so many people in similar situations to mine, it was easy to make friends and everyone supported one another. They understood how hard it was and for the first time I met people who actually knew what I was going through which really helped; I didn’t feel alone anymore.

One wet, cold afternoon I returned to the house upset after a small setback with Emily and was greeted by one of the staff. She took me into the office and didn’t just offer me tea but a shoulder to cry on (literally). She held me so tight and gave me the warmth I so needed. The ladies took time to get to know me and went above and beyond their job description, offering practical and emotional help and support when I needed it most. Later that day I found a bar of chocolate left in my room by them to cheer me up; that one small gesture will never be forgotten, it meant so much to me.

On the weekends Mark, my husband would come to visit and we would stay together and spend hours sat around the table in Crawford House catching up and discussing Emily’s care. To sit and have a meal together when we had spent all week apart was wonderful. I was conscious of the fact I needed to keep myself in top shape because I was breastfeeding Emily so it was great to have a proper kitchen and not just a microwave to prepare food in. Canteen food is alright every now and then, if expensive, but in the house I could make home cooked meal, something I would never have had time to do if I was travelling up every day.

After a crazy week of medical talk it was nice for Mark and I to have the peace of Crawford House, it allowed us time to have a catch up without all the commotion of the hospital. I found it so stressful being in a hospital environment all day every day, remembering to wash your hands all the time and with people coming and going, so having some privacy was a tonic. Coming to terms with news is hard enough but when your immediate world never stops around you, it’s impossible to allow your head time to catch up and think. As a result I craved privacy and having space for Mark and I to just be together and talk through things gave us time to think about Emily and her ongoing care. I hated crying in public, the thought that I might be judged by people for being weak meant I spent hours putting on a ‘mask’. I often walked back to my room and just sat and stared at the walls, it was quiet and I could finally cry, not just for Emily and what she was going through but for me and what lays ahead for us all.

Looking to the future we are going to have to visit the cystic fibrosis team every six weeks and we have chosen to keep coming to Newcastle instead going to our local hospital in Yorkshire. The care here is above and beyond what we expected and this is also due in part to the warmth and support we received from The Sick Children’s Trust.

The cystic fibrosis is something we need to come to terms with and learn about but at the moment we have our brave, beautiful baby at home where she belongs and that is all I ever dreamt of. I will never be able to repay the charity for its unconditional kindness and I will always be grateful for the room they gave me when I needed it the most. You never know these charities exist until you need them and I want to let as many people as I can know that they need our help.

Kate, Emily’s mum

Martin's Story

As soon as our son Martin was born in November 1992, we immediately knew that something was wrong. His rapid breathing immediately alerted the attention of doctors and Martin was instantly rushed to Alder Hey hospital where he was diagnosed as having ‘Truncus arteriosus’, a rare congenital heart disease. The joy of having our first son quickly turned to terror. Knowing something was wrong made us both feel incredibly vulnerable and helpless. Fortunately after an incredibly shaky start with many scares, including a life-saving heart operation, Martin’s condition improved and we were able to take him home. However we knew that our son would need to have an operation sometime in the future to replace his pulmonary homograph conduit.

Ten years later in 2002, the time came for Martin’s second operation and whilst we had known this was inevitable, the worry and panic remained painfully fresh. Our first concern was how to get to Great Ormond Street Hospital from our home in Hampshire and finding accommodation that would allow us to be close to the ward throughout Martin’s operation. So when we discovered The Sick Children’s Trust, it felt as though a huge weight was lifted from our shoulders. The charity provided us with ‘Home from Home’ accommodation in their Rainbow House that is extremely close to Great Ormond Street.

The staff at Rainbow House were extremely welcoming, especially Sandra the house manager who immediately made us feel more relaxed at this stressful time. Just knowing that we had somewhere close to Martin’s ward where we could eat, wash and unwind was hugely comforting. It was also great for our younger daughter Chloe, who seemed much less worried after we moved into Rainbow House. We remained at this ‘Home from Home’ throughout our son’s recovery and were very grateful for the significant help provided to us by The Sick Children’s Trust.

In August 2010 Martin required a third operation in which a mechanical value would be placed into his heart. We were delighted to be told that Rainbow House had a place available for us once again, so after two expensive nights in a hotel we were back with Sandra in the comfortable and calming environment we had experienced sever years before. Meeting other families in similar situations helped to remove some worries and we all shared our experiences. In Rainbow House we met a couple, Damian and Tina Slack with a daughter, Grace, who was also unwell and we both supported each other through the difficult times. Without the Sick Children’s Trust such support wouldn’t have been there and I feel that we would have felt much more isolated and afraid.

Martin is now doing much better and we are thrilled to have our son in such good spirits, we also are now very good friends with Damian and Tina. We cannot thank The Sick Children’s Trust enough for giving us this vital and continuous support throughout Martin’s operations.

Our little miracle

When I was 20 weeks into my pregnancy, my unborn baby was diagnosed with multiple heart problems. I was told that I would have to be induced a week early and give birth at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) to be closer to his specialist team rather than at my local hospital, York, near our home in Hemingbrough, Selby.

Vaughn was born 10 March 2010 with an interrupted aortic arch and a large hole in the heart. At just five days old he had his first open heart surgery. During this time, I stayed on the hospital ward and my husband and daughter would come and visit us.

After his first operation we were sent home as everything appeared to be okay, but then during his regular monthly heart scans it became clear that there were further complications. Vaughn was next diagnosed with sub-aortic stenosis. The valve in the main artery which carries blood out of the heart was too small and had a blockage; it also had only two flaps instead of the normal three flaps required function properly. The only possible solution was for Vaughn to undergo a second life-saving open heart operation.

We remained in hospital for over two weeks as Vaughn’s immune system was so low after the surgery that he became ill and his recovery time was impeded. After two weeks we were given the okay to go home, but this happiness didn’t last.

In October the doctors realised that Vaughn would need a third operation. When he was admitted in March 2011 we were informed that, due to this period being the height of the flu season, the ward had had to impose visiting restrictions. This meant Vaughn’s three year old sister wouldn’t be allowed on to ward. For either Simeon or myself to be with Vaughn, Willow would have to stay outside and we would have to find some way to amuse her in a hospital – a hopeless situation and one for which we could see no possible solution. It was then that my husband, Simeon, and I were given the opportunity to stay with The Sick Children’s Trust for 25 days.

We felt so lucky to get a room at Eckersley House, the charity’s ‘Home from Home’ that supports families of children at the LGI, as we had initially been told that we were only going to be in for a short time but Vaughn became ill and had to remain in for a month. We have no family in Selby, so we would have had no one to look after Willow had we had to make that decision to leave her. You can only ask friends to help out for so long. However, because of The Sick Children’s Trust, we thankfully could bring Willow and all stay at the hospital. It was such a relief. We want to keep our family together no matter what, and being at Eckersley House helped us do that. It made a horrible ordeal that little bit better.

Willow loved coming over to the house to play in the playroom and even referred to it as the ‘lady’s house’. I think being here gave her a sense of normality, which was fundamental to her not being too affected by this whole situation. We have always been determined that Vaughn will go through this with his whole family there for him, together. During our stay, we would cook together and sit round the dinner table, making the same meals as we did back home. It enabled us to do many of the small things that keep normal family life together. We even were able to bake a cake for Vaughn to celebrate his first birthday in the hospital.

For me, having my entire family around me kept me sane. Having an outside place away from the hospital to be myself, to be able to retreat to help my mind stay focused on Vaughn and getting him through this. He was just so little and I wanted to do everything I could to protect the newest member of our family. Being at Eckersley House helped Vaughn’s recovery no end. Due to an infection he was isolated to his room after his operation but having myself or his dada by his bedside and his sister waving at him from outside the room really lifted his spirits each day.

It was also positive for us to share what we were going through with the other people we met in the house. Everyone had children in the same position and it somehow helps to know that others know how you feel. Although I have good friends at home in Selby, they could only imagine what I was going through. Talking to other families in the house you could tell they really understood and could give advice.

We are back at home now and he is leading a normal ‘little man’s life,’ starting to walk, playing with his sister, even starting nursery. Such is the strength of his spirit; he recently was awarded the Superkid 2011 overall winner by our local paper. As my husband has stated this is as much of award for all those who have cared for and supported Vaughn: the doctors and nurses, in fact, all the hospital staff and importantly all of our new friends at Eckersley House

But he is not through his ordeals yet - Vaughn requires a complete valve replacement. We are just waiting for him to grow enough so that he can have the next major operation, which could be required at any time, he has regular scans to monitor his heart pressure, and if it gets too high he will have to have an emergency operation just to keep him alive. He will continue to have more operations in the future and probably for the rest of his life, but it’s good to know that when the time comes for us to return to the LGI that we can rely on the support of The Sick Children’s Trust once more.

Rebecca, Vaughn’s mum

Our second home at Treetop House

At just three weeks old our son Beau suddenly got ill so we took him to our local GP. Recognising he was very ill the doctor immediately suggested we go straight to our local hospital in Lincoln to have further tests. He was there for three days and diagnosed with late onset Group B Streptococcous Meninigitis and Sepsis. Suddenly he deteriorated so had to be transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, two hours away from our home. Here he spent four days in intensive care.

During this time we stayed at the parent accommodation on the ward but after Beau was taken off intensive care we were no longer allowed to stay there as it was reserved for parents of children in ICU and high dependency units. Whilst it was obviously a blessing that he was doing so well, in the same breath we now had the added concern that we were left with nowhere to stay. Luckily one of the nurses on the ward mentioned The Sick Children’s Trust and Treetop House. She offered to make a call to get us on the waiting list for a room.

She called Ann, the house manager, but unfortunately there was a long waiting list as the house was so busy. But our names went down on the list and we kept our fingers crossed. For the next week my partner, Kieran, and I stayed on the ward as leaving Beau wasn’t an option either of us would consider.

The situation was immensely stressful. We were sharing a one person camp bed or taking turns to sleep in a chair whilst the other one slept in the bed. It put such a great strain on our relationship that the day Ann came down to the ward to tell us that a bedroom had become free I could have kissed her with joy!

The mental and physical cost of staying away from home too had been mounting up. Our families were bringing us food parcels when they came to visit, but more often that not we were surviving on canteen and vending machine food. At one point I got very ill from not looking after myself properly so when we arrived at Treetop House it was heavenly to be able to cook a proper meal for myself and Kieran. Just to sit down at a table and not have to balance my dinner on my lap or wolf down some food in between visits to the ward was a real mood lifter. I also found the simple act of cooking also took my mind off the day and gave me something to focus on other than Beau’s illness. In particular this was something that really made me feel at home in the house. Whilst I was making a meal, I never wanted for a utensil or a piece of equipment, it was almost like being a home in my own kitchen. It wasn’t just about making do, everything I needed was there, and this provided me with a sense of comfort.

As Beau was a newborn I really felt the strong urge to bond and wanted to breast feed him so it was a great relief to have the phones in the bedrooms which gave us a direct link to the ward. I would sit in the comfort of my room and express my milk and then call down to the ward near his feeding time and let them know I was on my way down with my milk to give to him. This was particularly important as the doctors had told me that the antibodies in my milk would help boost his immune system which in his delicate condition was vital in helping his recovery.

The rooms were so clean and in particular the bathrooms. The showers on the ward weren’t that great either so the joy I got from being able to just walk out of a hot shower and not have to put on a pair of shoes to walk across the room, but instead just climb into a clean bed and gather my thoughts was immense. In the early days on the ward I was like a zombie, running myself into the ground. You can’t underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep when you are in a stressful situation like ours. Waking up refreshed the next day, you find yourself ready to face whatever meningitis has to throw at you.

Being in the house with other families also helped to share the burden. When you are having a good day you can share your highs and when you are having a bad day you take comfort in the fact that others know what you are going through. Whilst the support from your friends and family is of course wonderful, they have no concept of what is happening and what you are going through. The other families at Treetop House know first hand the trials that each day brings with them and I drew great comfort from my talks with other parents in the same position.

Beau is doing really well now and we are just dealing with his follow up appointments which are split between Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham and District Hospital and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

When we were last at Sheffield it was great to see a friendly face in Ann and the team and as I was driving up the road and saw the flag outside the hospital I said to Beau, “look Beau, we are home”, and it really does feel like our second home. Although we have gone through one of the worst times of our lives, we also have some really fond memories of our time there and that is in large part due to the support we received from the Sick Children’s Trust and all at Treetop House.

Kate Tyminska, Beau’s mum

We were only minutes from Eve’s bedside

My daughter Eve was having a day off school due to a minor illness when she suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary. Eve had experienced a massive bleed to the brain with no apparent cause leaving me feeling helpless and very worried.

Eve’s mother and her husband joined me immediately at the hospital to spend what would be an incredibly difficult first night at the hospital. In the panic we had left basic necessities behind and had to make the unpleasant decision to leave Eve’s bedside to return home to collect what would be needed for our stay. Every mile of that journey felt like an eternity and I couldn’t wait to be back at my daughter’s side.

I never wanted to be that far from my daughter’s side again and therefore when we were directed to The Sick Children’s Trust’s Crawford House by a social worker from the hospital it felt like an incredible weight had been lifted from our shoulders. We were able to stay in this ‘Home from Home’ knowing that we were only ever a couple of minutes from Eve’s bedside and it was fantastic to know that the practical needs of having a place to eat, sleep and wash were no longer a concern.

The house was also brilliant for my youngest daughter Mia, who instantly felt at home in Crawford House. In other foreign places, such as hotels, Mia has felt unsure of herself and required frequent reassurance; however this friendly environment with incredibly approachable staff clearly made her feel safe. Knowing that Mia was comfortable was another thing off our minds during this stressful time.
It was also very beneficial to meet other residents in the communal dining room. Everyone is going through similar circumstances and can empathise with our situation. Occasionally people talked to each other about their children but everyone was also sensitive to each other and respected that sometimes people need to just sit quietly.

Eve has now been moved from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit to the neuro-ward. A stent has drained fluid in her brain and she has been more responsive since; opening her eyes, making sounds and trying to move her arms. Without the continuing support from Crawford House, this whole experience would be significantly worse.

Eve is still very poorly and therefore it is comforting to know that if I did need to draw on Crawford House again, the staff involved would do all they could to accommodate me. I truly believe that family is the best medicine and cannot thank The Sick Children’s Trust enough for giving us the opportunity to be as close to our daughter as possible in her greatest time of need.

Our time at Treetop House by Marie Boden, Jayden’s mum

Our son Jayden was born in Rotherham in November 2010 with cystic fibrosis. Further testing with an X-ray revealed that he had a blockage in his bowels, so he was transferred immediately to Sheffield Children’s Hospital and at only five days old he had to have an operation.

After this everything seemed to be okay, but then he started losing weight rapidly and at the start of February 2011 we had to take him back to hospital for a week to undergo tests. He was released for the weekend and we were hopeful that he had turned a corner but then he took a turn for the worse and was readmitted for more tests. We were on the ward for two weeks before the doctors told me it would be a long term stay. It was at this appointment that the consultant mentioned The Sick Children’s Trust and its ‘Homes from Home’, as it became clear that this time we were going to be in hospital for quite a while.

Before we got a room at Treetop House we were travelling back and forth from our home in Rotherham, which was half an hour each way, and with neither myself nor my partner being able to drive, we had to use public transport. This isn’t ideal when you have a sick child and every second counts. We just wanted to be close to Jayden all the time.

The first week Jayden was on the ward, when we didn’t have anywhere to stay, we were going back and forth to do our washing. We were just rushing into our home, tidying and putting a quick wash on with enough to keep us going for a few days before going straight back to the hospital. Eating out was also proving expensive. We didn’t want to stay at home and make meals as being by Jayden’s side was our priority, so we would grab a quick snack from the hospital canteen just to keep us going. All these little things added to the stress of what we were already going through, but once we found accommodation at Treetop House these were no longer an issue. It’s these little touches that make such a difference.

Staying at the house not only helped us to physically stay close to Jayden but also mentally gave us peace of mind. When we were staying there we used the phones in the rooms to keep in touch with the ward and would often call down just to check on his progress and make sure he was doing okay.

In the last few weeks Jayden also came and stayed with us in the house and although he is too young to take advantage of the play room or even watch TV, I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt to be like a normal family. As Jayden got ill pretty much straight away after he was born, we haven’t had the chance to do “normal” family things like cook a meal together or just sit in the room and play with toys. The Sick Children’s Trust provided us with a place to do that and really helped us all bond together as a family – I think spending this type of quality time together also helped Jayden to recover quicker, as it is so much better being close to one another. I am sure having us around and being away from the wards gave him strength to get through his illness quicker.

My mum and dad also came for a visit as they were desperate to meet their first grandchild. It was so just so lovely to be able to sit in the lounge at the house and relax with a cup of tea and talk to mum and dad and let them sit and cuddle Jayden without all the noises of the ward going on in the background. As well as having our own family around us, meeting other families also helped as it was reassuring to know we were all going through the same situation. We could draw on each other’s strengths and support each other through the good times and the bad.
We’d never been to Sheffield before and coming from Rotherham was quite disorientating. The house managers were wonderful in helping us adjust to our new situation and letting us know where all the shops were, which we would never have had time to find on our own.

We have just left the house and are going home for the first time which is very exciting for us. We will have to come back every week for a check up for the rest of Jayden’s life but thankfully it should only be for a day visit. I can’t thank The Sick Children’s Trust enough for its support during this time.

From Gibraltar to London

The Wilson Family






My family first stayed at Stevenson House in August 2010 for three months when our 11year old son Jack was diagnosed with a tumour in his pituitary gland. We later found out this was part of Cushing’s disease - a rare and difficult condition to diagnose.

When our hospital in Gibraltar confirmed that we would have to have him transferred to the UK to undergo tests we didn’t know how we would manage and as we also had two other young sons to consider the panic set in at an early stage.

Thankfully though, through searching online and with a little guidance from a kind member of Jack's clinical team we were told about The Sick Children’s Trust’s Stevenson House, so my wife Lynn and my boys Sheigh, nine, and Ellis, seven, had a new temporary ‘Home from Home’.

Staying at the house helped in many ways. First of all I could not work and look after my other two children. Instead of my wife being confined to a hotel room with two small boys, the home provided a warm and friendly atmosphere which helped to take away the feeling of being alone in a large city.

The house was very near to the Royal London Children’s Hospital, making what would have been a long trip back and forth to the hospital more manageable. The facilities at Stevenson House also helped, as we sometimes found ourselves having to cook a meal at 11pm at night so knowing that we didn’t have to seek out a late night restaurant to find some food was a reassurance. Just eating at the house was a breath of fresh air that broke up the monotony of the hospital.

Meal times were an essential part of our daily routine and crucial in giving our other two children stability. Being able to store our own comfort foods helped my children to keep their mind off of their brother and keep a modicum of normality. Financially it was a weight off our mind at a time where so much was in the balance.

It was also comforting for Jack to know I was only just around the corner. We promised him a trip in the wheelchair once he got out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the smile on his face when he had his first home cooked meal can't be put into words.

When Jack knew he had to stay in hospital on his own he was reassured that he had a direct telephone line to our room in the house. During the weeks of ICU that link became more vital as my wife and I rotated shifts around him whilst managing two other small children.

We made many friends in the house and it was comforting that others around us could understand what we were going through. Our children also befriended other children during our stay which relieved their boredom and also helped them through a difficult time, taking their mind off what their brother was going through. They loved playing in the house as there was plenty for them to do and they went through most of the video collection! Jack came over to the house too and was allowed to stay for the day of Halloween. We managed to buy some pumpkins and scoop them out and put them in the window; memories like that last a lifetime.

Having Sheigh and Ellis stay with us at Stevenson House was essential. We had decided before we came to the UK that we were in this together as a family and it would have destroyed us if they hadn't been allowed to stay. We are a very close unit and we do most things together. They were also old enough to know what was going on and I know they wouldn't have forgiven us if we hadn't taken them.

The Stevenson House staff were helpful in so many ways that may seem trivial to others but to us they were a god send. For example, just highlighting points of interest in the area or explaining where the nearest park was for our sons, sharing helpful tips on transport and generally making us feel at home so we didn't feel isolated. It meant so much for the staff not only to be interested but also concerned; their enthusiasm and compassion were to be applauded.

Jack has improved dramatically now and is back to school and although he is medication dependant, we are positive about the future. Recovery is a long process but he is looking forward to his next trip to the UK in September and in his own words he said "I never thought I would ever tell you I was looking forward to going back there." To me that shows how much he has moved forward.

We have stayed at The Sick Children’s Trust twice more since our initial visit last year. As someone that lives 2000 miles away it almost brings me to tears when I think how easy this charity made my most difficult time, especially as we knew how busy the house was. The Sick Children’s Trust showed all the qualities which you would expect from a professional organisation and I cannot thank them enough.


By Neil Wilson, Jack’s dad