This June I will be taking part in The Long Walk home where I will be walking 50 miles in the month of June for The Sick Children’s trust.

When my son was only two weeks old he caught RSV which unfortunately developed into severe bronchiolitis. We rushed him to hospital as he wasn’t able to breathe by himself and he needed to be transferred into a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. On that night all the nearby PICUs were full and the nearest bed they had was at the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel over an hour and a half away from home. Scott and I were given a room to stay in at a Home from Home next to the hospital by the Sick Children’s Trust meaning we wouldn’t have to leave him for long, were nearby so we could stay with him without restriction but still had somewhere we could sleep. Being able to stay right next to the hospital when we had a newborn baby so sick was invaluable and even now with a healthy two and a half year old boy we are still so grateful for the help and support they gave us for the week he was in the PICU in East London and remember the other families we met that had been staying there so much longer than us.

The Sick Children’s Trust is the charity that provides a welcoming ‘Home from Home’ where families with a sick child in hospital can stay. But we’re more than bricks and mortar, our friendly, caring staff are there to support families when they really need it.

Without us families would have to travel long distances, sleep in uncomfortable hospital chairs or pay for expensive hotels just to be by their sick child’s hospital bedside. Not only do we alleviate financial worries but we also help the mental wellbeing of the families we support.