CHAR I TY F EATURE WELLCHILD
This year Cheltenham-based WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children, is our charity partner for The Festival TM and we are hoping that the whole racing community will help us support its crucial work The Festival SUPPORTING
M ore than 100,000 children and young people are living across the UK with serious or exceptional health needs. Through a nationwide network of almost 50 children’s nurses, training units, home development projects and family support services, WellChild exists to give this growing population of children and young people the best chance to thrive – properly supported at home, together with their families. Dawn Lossau, mother of Maisie (above with Maisie), who has complex health needs, tells in her own words howWellChild and the ever-growing, innovative WellChild Family Tree has helped her family during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Maisie was a normal ten-year-old girl who loved dance and gymnastics and being outdoors. We began to notice a few things that did not seem right and after tests she was diagnosed with a tumour in her brain stem. She had an operation and spent more than nine months in hospital. She was left unable to move, breathes through a ventilator and is unable to eat. “All our lives changed overnight. We have carers twenty-four seven and my husband had to give up work
to help care for Maisie, who is now 15. With hard work and daily physio, Maisie can now move her arms, hands and legs but after nearly five years there is still little strength in these movements. “It is amazing that Maisie has been so positive throughout all this, not only since her diagnosis but especially during 2020. It’s been hard enough for all children during this but for her, being confined to our house has been really hard. “Shielding during Covid-19 has been a real struggle for Maisie as she loves going out but we have been shielding since February 2020. She has complex medical needs, a tracheostomy, and she has had chemotherapy so her immune system is low. Taking her out would just be too risky. “We are fortunate that our care team are amazing – more like family than carers. Some families with complex-needs children have been left without carers, which is exhausting as children like Maisie need round-the-clock care. The WellChild Family Tree network is incredible – it’s great just knowing there is someone there who you can talk to that knows what you are going through.”
12 THE F E S T I VAL TM SUPPORT I NG WE L LCH I LD PREV I EW MAGAZ I NE
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