As supporters of Claire House Children’s Hospice we were invited to a tour to see the Hospice and see first hand the great work that they do. What an incredibly inspiring and moving day yesterday was.
They started off by telling us about a little girl called Isabella who was told she had weeks to live at birth. She is now 2.5 years old and going strong! She has to be monitored constantly 24/7 and Claire House offer respite care so her parents and siblings get some time to themselves and a break. The support the hospice provides allows the whole family to carry on with some tiny bit of normality.
We then watched a film about Ellie, the girl who was shown on Children In Need. Ellie was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of cancer at the age of 6. She lived for 18 months and during that time, Claire House gave her and her family some incredible memories. They even held a little pamper party for her which was one her wish list.
We were taken to the play room where they had a projector (that cost £40,000) that projected different interactive videos onto the wall and screen. They can project Frozen with sounds and moving images, they can create an aquarium for the kids – anything that the kids are into. There is one little boy who loves wheelie bins so they created a moving artwork for him of wheelie bins! We were shown a music room which allows the children to use senses they may not often use. A new piece of equipment they just bought cost £6000. They took us to the pool room where they can create a disco theme, or a calming room – and that’s where they have treatment with physios as its easier for their muscles to relax.
We then had some photos taken with Danielle in the play room – who then gave us a lovely card to say thank you from everyone at the Hospice.
Well done to every single person who supports Claire House – our support will continue throughout 2015.