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Raising money for Helen & Douglas House, our local hospice for terminally ill babies and children

On 8th September 2021, I will be cycling as part of a team of five from London to Paris (317 miles) over four days. On day one alone we will cover 89 miles from Croydon to Dover with ascents of 5,719ft. We’re doing this to raise money for Helen & Douglas House, a unique hospice close to our hearts.

Sue, our very loyal Andresa reception manager of over 10 years, has a moving family story relating to this hospice which has always moved us beyond words. You can read her story below, and I very much encourage you to do so; it concisely illustrates the way that this hospice works for the children and their families at a time when they are in intense turmoil, and you can’t fail to be moved by it.

The organiser and a team member of our bike ride, Janet Carruzzo, also has close connections to Helen & Douglas House by being a principal fundraiser. And during the time that Andresa has been in business, we have regularly raised money for this worthy cause; this time, we want to make our contribution that much more significant so that we can make a big difference to the children that Helen & Douglas House helps, and their families. It was the obvious choice of charity for us.

On a more personal note, I have for a while felt that this is the right time to “give something back”. I know this is a common theme among many of you at this stage of life, especially once children are grown up, so I decided to act, and this my 2021 effort to help.  I will relish the fact that it won’t be an easy walk (or bike ride) in the park for me!

It would mean so much if you could support this cause and donate as generously as possible. To give you an idea of how your donation could help:

£10 could pay for an hour's respite care at the hospice.

£20 could pay for a one-hour bereavement counselling session for parents.

£30 could pay for play therapy for a child at the hospice.

£50 could pay for one of the hospice’s community nurses to visit a child at home to help with pain management.

Here is Sue’s family story:

“My brother Peter and his wife Rachel lost their two eldest daughters, Misha & Natalie, to Battens Disease. It’s a terminal condition, and is a form of Motor Neurone Disease in children. There had been no previous cases in the families’ history, and the odds of Peter and Rachel
getting together to create the defective gene was about 1 in a million.

Misha died peacefully in her parents’ arms shortly after being admitted to Helen & Douglas House in 2002, just after her 7th birthday. Natalie died a year later, aged 5 and just 12 days before her 6th birthday.

Helen & Douglas House were absolutely incredible and not only looked after my two nieces, but also cared for the whole family, including us as the extended family. The girls often went in for short periods for respite care, and the staff were supporting us to the very end. We were all affected by this double tragedy and the staff were kind, considerate, compassionate and understanding to each and every single one of us.

As a family, we are forever grateful for the work that this hospice did in supporting us, and we continue to support the charity wherever possible. My brother is one of their official photographers and Rachel became a nurse there for several years.”

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and completely secure, and your money is sent directly to the charity, making it the most efficient way to donate. So please help us to help Helen & Douglas House continue supporting terminally ill children and their families.

Thank you so much for reading my page and for your support.

Theresa x