Hi
You have reached Paula and Al's JustGiving page.
As you may know our son, Alex, was diagnosed with lymphoma in September and we are thankfully through his chemotherapy treatment. We are pleased to say that Alex is doing fantastically well and that he remains a wonderfully brave little boy. He is back to how he was before he bacame ill which is just amazing.
When Alex started his treatment and lost his hair it hit him harder than any of us really expected and we started thinking about how we would feel in the same situation. One of the outcomes of these deliberations was Alistair giving his word that he would shave his head - partially to try and make Alex feel better at the time but also to take an opportunity to raise some cash for the charity that have helped our whole family so much through this whole experience. The charity's name is Latch.
You can see the offical entry for Latch on the left here but this high level description can not begin to explain what these people do. For us they:
- provided us with a bedroom above the ward allowing both of us to stay with Alex whilst he was in the hospital for weeks at a time. They even provided a travelcot so that Alex's sister's (baby Ellie and 8 year old Gabby) could stay with us at the weekends
- gave us a tranquil sanctury to escape the every day (every minute it felt like sometimes) hustle, bustle, beeps, frustrations, anger, sadness, shock, frustration and fear that make up a childrens oncology ward. The lounge area Latch provides above the ward gives a small space that feels like home rather than a hospital and the kitchen area means we didn't just live on toast and ready meals.
- organised "cheer up" vouchers for Alex to spend during his time in between treatments
- gave us our own social worker to help us through the whole experience - emotionally, psychologically and practically
- they even give Alex his own "wish" now that he has come through his treatment.
It has absolutely amazed us that so many people give their whole lives, effort, emotion, heart and soul to helping each day (even hour) be the best it can be for all the children with cancer in Wales.
Thanks to Latch but also to all the wonderful staff on the oncology wards of Sky and Space.
Now the practical stuff.....
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to Latch and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - We raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
As we have raised awareness of the head shave some friends have offered to organise a charity evening in our local village hall. Lots of chilli, hot dogs for the children, fabulous music from The Bandits and lots more. This happened on March 6th and was a fabulous night. Thank you to all who helped - over £3000 and counting.
Our next event for Latch is "Llandogo's got talent". We have held one set of auditions and the next are scheduled for 1.00pm at Tintern Village Hall on the 27th March. The night of the show is still to be confirmed but should be a good evening. So far attractions include a 5 year tap dancer, a beatbox routine and a wonderful violin/viola duo.
Thank you so, so much
Paula, Al, Gabby, Alex and Ellie
