Victoria Birchall

Victoria's page

Fundraising for Derian House Children's Hospice
£585
raised of £400 target
by 36 supporters
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
In memory of Jessica Green
We offer respite & palliative care to children, young people & their families

Story

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In memory of Jessica Green, I am raising money by having my hair shaved and donating my hair to make wigs for the children that have sadly lost theirs!

Sadly on the 1st April 2014 at the age of 6, Jessica lost her fight with this debilitating disease.

It costs £250,000 a month to run Derian House so please dig deep, every penny counts for this amaizing cause!

Thank you in advance for you donation it means alot!

Vicki !! please read on ....

Jessica's Storey

Jessica was a beautiful, confident and happy little girl who lived her life to the full and had lots of friends. Jessica liked to be the centre of attention. She enjoyed singing and dancing (especially to Lady Ga Ga), dressing up and loved everything to do with Disney Princess.

Life changed for Jessica and every one who knew her in March 2011 when she was only 3 years old. Jessica was diagnosed with a rare and inoperable brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). We were told there was little treatment and her life expectancy was 9-12 months.

Jessica was started on steroids straight away to relieve some of the pressure on her brain and preparations began so she could start radiotherapy. She received 30 sessions in total over a period of 6 weeks. By the end of her treatment Jessica's initial symptoms had improved and we were over the moon to hear that the tumour had reduced to half the size.

Over the next 2 and a half years Jessica went on to lead a normal happy life. She started school and met her new baby sister. We were lucky enough to go on some very memorable holidays together and we cherished every single day we had together.

In October 2013 we noticed that something wasn't quite right with Jess so she was referred for an MRI and that's when our world came crashing down. The tumour had started to grow again...this time more aggressively.

Jessica began chemotherapy treatment. We knew it wasn't a cure but we hoped it would give us more quality time together. The next few months were like being on a roller coaster. We had many over night stays in hospital. Jessica suffered with mouth ulcers, hair loss and needed numerous transfusions but she never complained. We came close to loosing her a couple of times but she came back fighting and proved the doctors wrong time and time again.

By the end of March 2014 Jessica could no longer walk , talk, swallow or move any part of her body. The only way she could communicate was with her eyes. She was fed by an NG tube and she didn't have any quality of life. The cruel thing was that Jessica knew exactly what was happening to her little body. This horrendous disease takes away your ability to do everything you take for granted but leaves you with your mind. I know Jessica was scared despite our best efforts to comfort her and that is something we now have to live with. Jessica developed a chest infection and the decision was made to go to Derian House Children's Hospice.

Jessica passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on the 1st April 2014 aged only 6 years old.

This debilitating disease robbed her of everything she loved to do and all of her dreams. 


About the charity

Derian House Children's Hospice provides specialist care and respite to children and young people with life-limiting or life-shortening conditions. We cover the South of Cumbria, the entire of Lancashire and the North of Manchester. To provide our services in 2023 the cost to us stands at over £6m.

Donation summary

Total raised
£584.90
+ £96.75 Gift Aid
Online donations
£584.90
Offline donations
£0.00

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