Acorns Childrens Hospice
Acorns Christmas Appeal
Fundraising for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust
Story
Working on a one-to-one basis, our team of specialist palliative care children's nurses provide our children and families with the ongoing support that they need. That is why this Christmas we've set a fundraising target of £60,000, which could fund just over 18 months of care for a child from a hospice nurse.
Could you donate today to help us continue to make a real difference to children like Josh? Read on below for Josh's story, as told by Carmel Forrest, deputy head nurse at Acorns in the Black Country.
Josh's Story
13 year old Josh is severely brain damaged. There are a lot of things he can't do for himself - he can't walk so uses a wheelchair, he can't talk and is visually impaired, he is tube fed and has epilepsy which is controlled with medication. He needs 24 hour full-time care.
Josh has been coming to Acorns for regular short breaks for around four years. He's such a character! He always gives us lots of feedback through smiling and his lovely facial expressions. Behind that smile, Josh still requires a lot of medication; his feeding regime needs to be adhered to very closely; and he has numerous hospital visits and GP appointments.
Because Josh's care is so complex, it's important that his mum has the confidence that we know how to care for him. We give parents and carers the confidence and the freedom to relax and not feel guilty.
When Josh comes to Acorns, he enjoys himself. He loves different kinds of experiences; being out in the garden, in the spa, the activity room or the sensory room. We try to put in as many opportunities, trips out and experiences as we possibly can.
We make memories for children like Josh and his family. We capture moments. By doing so, parents will be able to look back and say, "OK, we only had them for a short precious time but look at how fulfilled that life was".
You can learn more about these moments and the care we provide for Josh by watching our brand new video, by clicking here - http://youtu.be/Nme2w-7NQyo