31 children who have been supported by WellChild, the the UK’s leading charity for sick children, were the guests of Prince William and Prince Harry at a very special party at Wembley.
Jugglers and musicians amused the children before they all met with Prince William and Prince Harry before a delicious buffet lunch of beef lasagne, garlic bread, ‘Wembley Burger’, pizza and salad. After the lunch, the children and their parents were given a unique opportunity to go into the Royal Box and watch one of the performers doing a sound check for the concert the next day.
Kedge Martin, Chief Executive of WellChild said: “It was a really fantastic day – the children were so thrilled to meet our Patron, Prince Harry and his brother William.’
“Laughter and smiles are very effective medicines and for the chronically sick children WellChild supports, this event will bring so much joy and happiness for children who often suffer a great deal.’
The following children who have been assisted by WellChild, through nursing care, support or medical research attended the party:
 Ceitdh Anderson, aged 12 from Arran who has HME (bone growth and lumps) and undergoes one operation a year to remove them*
Kirsty Ashton aged 12 from Manchester who has Neurofibromatosis which causes tumours all over her body*
Luke Biggs aged 9 from Oxford has a total bowel aganglionosis which meant he could not eat until a bowel operation 18 months ago. He is still on a limited diet.
Dylan Bloore aged 9 from Warwickshire had Acute Myelobestic Leukemia. He is in remission
Joachim Coles aged 6 from London has a Diaphragmatic Hernia and Ingroin Hernia which involved surgery. He is on the road to recovery
John James Entwistle, aged 11 from Winchester has Alstrom Syndrome which has prompted hearing loss, diabetes and he has lost his eyesight.
Joshua Farndon aged 14 from Birmingham has Crohn’s disease which has resulted in surgery.
Zoe Flynn aged 6 from London was born with congenital liver failure, and had a liver transplant.
Kate Green aged 13 from West Midlands has PKU which is an enzyme deficiency.
Anna Hilton aged 8 from Shropshire has Juvenile Battens Disease. She is now registered blind.
Junaid Hussain aged 8 from Birmingham has Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1b, which has meant he needed a bone marrow transplant.*
Luci Jones aged 13 from Weston Super Mare has Langerham Cell Histiosytosis, a form of cancer.*
David Kitcatt aged 9 from Leatherhead was born with a liver tumour, had a transplant and then developed non-Hodgkins Lymphoma so has undergone intense chemotherapy.
Lakhani Abhishek aged 9 from Middlesex developed hepatitis, which prompted liver failure, however he is now at school.
Kirsha Lawrence aged 15 has a urea cycle defect which has meant extensive periods in hospital.
Kion Leeson aged 6 from South Yorkshire has Alstrom Syndrome, which can mean blindness
Salina Mahmud aged 9 from London has neuromuscular disorder which gives rise to delayed motor skills and movement disorders.
Bobby-Leigh McNally aged 14 from the Isle of Dogs has Intersitial Lung Disease which means she is on 24 hour oxygen.
Lucy-Ann O’Neil aged 7 has Demyelination, a degenerative process that erodes the sheath that protects the nerve fibres. Although she has no use of her left arm she is doing really well.
Ben Pickering aged 9 from Surrey has Late Infantile Batten’s disease. His care is complex and he currently has 53 different professionals involved in his care.
Alexander Schroeder aged 10 from Birmingham has Diabetes type 1 and injects himself daily.
Jack Scuse aged 7 from London was born with a heart defect which needed open heart surgery.*
Cara Smith aged 5 from London has cystic fybrosis.
Joshua Smith aged 9 from London has cystic fybrosis and receives a large amount of daily medication.
Sorrel Tag-Foster aged 8 from Bristol has Primary immune Deficiency and Chronic Lung Disease.
Lauren Tume aged 6 from Norwood has had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and an inoperable brain tumour.*
Harry Vyse aged 12 from Staffordshire has Glutaric Aciduria Type 1, a progressive genetic disorder.
*these children are previous winners of WellChild Best Brave Child Awards.
Others have benefited from WellChild’s investment in groundbreaking medical research over the past 30 years in areas such as child liver transplantation or premature birth and others are under the care of our specialist Children’s nurses who provide the vital link to allow chronically or long term sick children to receive medical care at home rather than have to stay in hospital.
Chief Executive of WellChild, Kedge Martin said: “This party provided a particularly special environment for Prince Harry to meet families who have been supported by WellChild, and it is a huge honour that our Royal Patron is enthusiastic to support our work during our 30th anniversary year. Over the past 30 years, WellChild has been instrumental in making huge improvements in the care and treatment of sick children through nursing care, support and medical research. However, much more needs to be done to support these children and their families. Despite one in five children in the UK suffering a long term illness or disability, children’s health remains an undervalued and under-resourced area. We are delighted that Prince Harry is helping WellChild to highlight the needs of sick children and their families.”
Nominations for the WellChild and Best Magazine Children’s Health Awards are now open. To nominate brave children or outstanding adults who work with sick children please visit: www.wellchildbestawards.com
WellChild is the UK charity dedicated to the needs of sick children and their families. Through nursing care, support and medical research, WellChild provides children and families with practical solutions to real life problems, working so that every child has the best possible health.
Care
WellChild Children’s Nurses provide specialist medical care and direct support in the home to chronically sick children and their families. They also offer much needed practical and emotional support, occasional respite and act as the family’s advocate. WellChild’s nurses allow sick children, often with complex needs to get out of hospital and home to their families and to receive the right treatment and care that they need within the home environment. It is well known that children cared for at home, surrounded by their family are happier and do better.
Support
Our Nurse-led WellChild Helpline (0808 801 0330) provides confidential advice and support to families and children who need information about a disease or health condition. This support helps reduce the isolation and fear many children and families suffer as a result of illness.
Practical help is vitally important when caring for a sick child. Our Helping Hands volunteers provide one off or more regular support to families in desperate need. This may include making a garden safe and accessible to a newly disabled child or refurbishing a bedroom to make it more comfortable.
Research
Since 1977, WellChild has been developing pioneering treatments and cures in research units at hospitals across the UK. Many hundreds of children are alive today because of WellChild’s research and thousands more benefit from improved treatments and care across many childhood conditions from cancer to meningitis, liver disease to premature birth.
WellChild’s care, support and research reach the children and families who need it most. WellChild relies entirely on voluntary donations to continue to save lives, care for sick children and work so that every child can be a well child.
FACTS AND FIGURES
There are 14 million children in the UK;
1 in 5 of them has an illness or disability that won’t go away like diabetes, epilepsy or a liver or heart disorder
1 in 20 children will end up in hospital this year with an acute illness
every 30 minutes a baby is born with a genetic disorder
every day four families receive the devastating news that their child has cancer, more than three out of every ten will die
each week, 30 children are struck down by meningitis and three die
There are three million children in the UK that suffer from an illness or disability – that’s more than at any time in our history.
July 2007 |
Market Research, Parents and Babies
