LONDON, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday 30th June, 30 families who have been supported by the
children's health charity WellChild, have been invited to a special party at
Wembley hosted by Prince Harry, who is Royal Patron of the charity and Prince
William.
The following children who have been assisted by WellChild, through
nursing care, support or medical research are attending the party:
- Ceitdh Anderson, aged 12 from Arran who has HME (bone growth and
lumps) and undergoes one operation a year to remove them(1)
- Kirsty Ashton aged 12 from Manchester who has Neurofibromatosis which
causes tumours all over her body(1)
- Luke Biggs aged 9 from Oxford has a total bowel aganglionosis which
meant he could not eat until a bowel operation 18 months ago. He is still on
a limited diet.
- Dylan Bloore aged 9 from Warwickshire had Acute Myelobestic Leukemia.
He is in remission
- Joachim Coles aged 6 from London has a Diaphragmatic Hernia and
Ingroin Hernia which involved surgery. He is on the road to recovery
- John James Entwistle, aged 11 from Winchester has Alstrom Syndrome
which has prompted hearing loss, diabetes and he has lost his eyesight.
- Joshua Farndon aged 14 from Birmingham has Crohn's disease which has
resulted in surgery.
- Zoe Flynn aged 6 from London was born with congenital liver failure,
and had a liver transplant.
- Kate Green aged 13 from West Midlands has PKU which is an enzyme
deficiency.
- Anna Hilton aged 8 from Shropshire has Juvenile Battens Disease. She
is now registered blind.
- Junaid Hussain aged 8 from Birmingham has Glycogen Storage Disease
Type 1b, which has meant he needed a bone marrow transplant.(1)
- Luci Jones aged 13 from Weston Super Mare has Langerham Cell
Histiosytosis, a form of cancer(1).
- David Kitcatt aged 9 from Leatherhead was born with a liver tumour,
had a transplant and then developed non-Hodgkins Lymphoma so has undergone
intense chemotherapy.
- Lakhani Abhishek aged 9 from Middlesex developed hepatitis, which
prompted liver failure, however he is now at school.
- Kirsha Lawrence aged 15 has a urea cycle defect which has meant
extensive periods in hospital.
- Kion Leeson aged 6 from South Yorkshire has Alstrom Syndrome, which
can mean blindness
- Salina Mahmud aged 9 from London has neuromuscular disorder which
gives rise to delayed motor skills and movement disorders.
- Bobby-Leigh McNally aged 14 from the Isle of Dogs has Intersitial
Lung Disease which means she is on 24 hour oxygen.
- Lucy-Ann O'Neil aged 7 has Demyelination, a degenerative process that
erodes the sheath that protects the nerve fibres. Although she has no use of
her left arm she is doing really well.
- Ben Pickering aged 9 from Surrey has Late Infantile Batten's disease.
His care is complex and he currently has 53 different professionals involved
in his care.
- Alexander Schroeder aged 10 from Birmingham has Diabetes type 1 and
injects himself daily.
- Jack Scuse aged 7 from London was born with a heart defect which
needed open heart surgery(1).
- Cara Smith aged 5 from London has cystic fybrosis.
- Joshua Smith aged 9 from London has cystic fybrosis and receives a
large amount of daily medication.
- Sorrel Tag-Foster aged 8 from Bristol has Primary immune Deficiency
and Chronic Lung Disease.
- Lauren Tume aged 6 from Norwood has had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
and an inoperable brain tumour(1).
- Harry Vyse aged 12 from Staffordshire has Glutaric Aciduria Type 1, a
progressive genetic disorder.
Chief Executive of WellChild, Kedge Martin said: "This party provides a
particularly special environment for Prince Harry to meet families who have
been supported by WellChild, and it is a huge honour that our Royal Patron is
enthusiastic to support our work during our 30th anniversary year. Over the
past 30 years, WellChild has been instrumental in making huge improvements in
the care and treatment of sick children through nursing care, support and
medical research. However, much more needs to be done to support these
children and their families. Despite one in five children in the UK suffering
a long term illness or disability, children's health remains an undervalued
and under-resourced area. We are delighted that Prince Harry is helping
WellChild to highlight the needs of sick children and their families."
WellChild is the only UK charity touching the lives every child and
family in the UK through nursing care, support and medical research.
Nominations for the WellChild and best Magazine Children's Health Awards are
now open. To nominate brave children or outstanding adults who work with sick
children please visit: www.wellchildbestawards.com
Notes to Editors:
WellChild is the UK charity dedicated to the needs of sick children and
their families. Through nursing care, support and medical research, WellChild
provides children and families with practical solutions to real life
problems, working so that every child has the best possible health.
Care
WellChild Children's Nurses provide specialist medical care and direct
support in the home to chronically sick children and their families. They
also offer much needed practical and emotional support, occasional respite
and act as the family's advocate. WellChild's nurses allow sick children,
often with complex needs to get out of hospital and home to their families
and to receive the right treatment and care that they need within the home
environment. It is well known that children cared for at home, surrounded by
their family are happier and do better.
Support
Our Nurse-led WellChild Helpline (0808 801 0330) provides confidential
advice and support to families and children who need information about a
disease or health condition. This support helps reduce the isolation and
fear many children and families suffer as a result of illness.
Practical help is vitally important when caring for a sick child. Our
Helping Hands volunteers provide one off or more regular support to families
in desperate need. This may include making a garden safe and accessible to a
newly disabled child or refurbishing a bedroom to make it more comfortable.
Research
Since 1977, WellChild has been developing pioneering treatments and cures
in research units at hospitals across the UK. Many hundreds of children are
alive today because of WellChild's research and thousands more benefit from
improved treatments and care across many childhood conditions from cancer to
meningitis, liver disease to premature birth.
WellChild's care, support and research reach the children and families
who need it most. WellChild relies entirely on voluntary donations to
continue to save lives, care for sick children and work so that every child
can be a well child.
www.wellchild.org.uk
Facts And Figures
There are 14 million children in the UK;
- 1 in 5 of them has an illness or disability that won't go
away like diabetes, epilepsy or a liver or heart disorder
- 1 in 20 children will end up in hospital this year with an acute
illness
- every 30 minutes a baby is born with a genetic disorder
- every day four families receive the devastating news that their
child has cancer, more than three out of every ten will die
- each week, 30 children are struck down by meningitis and three
die
There are three million children in the UK that suffer from an illness or
disability - that's more than at any time in our history.
(1)these children are previous winners of WellChild Best Brave Child
Awards.
WellChild
For further information, please contact Jenny Eagle or Helen Matthews on +44(0)207-224-3960. On Saturday 30th, Helen can be reached on her mobile on +44(0)778-9842372
