Simon de Broise
Jessica's Lapland Husky Trail
Fundraising for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page
When my seemingly perfect baby daughter Alice Poppy was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease in November 2013, at just 8 months old, it came as an indescribably huge shock. Everything I had planned in my head for our future had been shattered. I was told she was likely to only live a few months.
It was like a real life nightmare.. Suddenly trips to the park, lunches with friends, and baby groups were replaced with consultant appointments, MRI scans, nurse visits, and most influential, a visit to Acorns Children's Hospice in Worcester. Never in my life would I ever imagine being in the position where I felt lucky to have a children's hospice just 20 minutes drive away from home.
When we first returned home with Alice after her stay at the John Radcliffe Children's Hospital in November 2013, one of the first phone calls I received was from our allocated Acorns Family Support Worker. She visited us the very next day, and visited once or twice weekly ever since. She was always there at the end of the phone, day or night. She attended most of Alice's consultant appointments too, and acted as a coordinator between all the different teams involved in Alice's care.
I vividly remember the first time I visited Acorns. I was walking around thinking this is so unfair, I should be visiting nurseries, not a children's hospice. The staff there are too incredible for words. They understood what we were going through, made us feel like part of their big family, and somehow keep it a happy, fun place to be.
Nothing is too much trouble for anyone there. They would go to the ends of the earth to help Alice and her family. There is a fabulous hydrotherapy pool, beautiful gardens, a sensory room, and more toys and equipment than you can imagine. Their family care suites allow family to sleep right there with the child, with essential home comforts. The staff (doctors, nurses and support workers) were so wonderful, and it is all charity funded.
They support not only the parents, but grandparents, friends, and anybody else involved with the special child. They can also provide essential respite to families, so they get a break from the draining emotional rollercoaster of looking after a life limited child.
After Alice passed away in September 2014, Acorns were the hugest help to me & my family - they supported us through the saddest days we could ever have to face.
I honestly don't know how we would have got through our journey without Acorns. Please support this vital lifeline to people like Alice & I.
Acorns Children's Hospice provides care for local children with life limiting & life threatening conditions, as well as support for their families. Each hospice costs £7500 per day to run - that's £750 per day for each child's care. In order to raise money for this fantastic cause I will be spending 6 days driving a sled from northern Norway into Sweden, travelling 250km. We will be sleeping in tents under reindeer skins, and cooking on campfires. Temperatures can get as low as -20 degrees. No toilets, no showers, no phones!
Please dig deep and help me raise money for Acorns.
Thank you
Jess x
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