Give Seriously ill Children their Childhood Back

Aidan was just four years old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. That’s when his family was plunged into a nightmare of fear and anxiety. Aidan’s dad, recalls the turmoil he and his wife, went through: “Our world broke to pieces. Aidan started treatment. It was all a blur for me and Leonie. We didn’t want to believe it. How could our little boy have cancer?”

Through years of grueling treatment, Aidan desperately needed something to look forward to. As his Dad explained, Barretstown plays a big part in helping seriously ill children like Aidan to remain optimistic:

“They need to know they have Barretstown to look forward to. A child who has cancer needs to know there’s a place where they can go and have fun, be happy, and feel like a regular child again.”

Aidan found out for himself just how life changing a trip to Barretstown can be – not just for a seriously ill child, but for their whole family – when he came to stay with us for a Spring weekend family camp. His Dad told us: “Even though we had to leave Barretstown, the happy memories Aidan made in camp haven’t left him. It’s like cancer had snuck in and turned off the light. But Barretstown came and turned the light back on – not just for Aidan, but for all of us.”

Today, Aidan is going from strength to strength. He and his family spent time living in Australia (where Leonie is from originally) from November 2017 until this March – and Aidan and his sister loved the sunshine and the pool. The family were back at Barretstown family camp in early June and had a brilliant time. Leonie told us: “Aidan is going into 4th class, so finishing up 3rd currently! He loves lunch break and maths, particularly maths games. He ­ finished his treatment in March last year, and that made three and a half years of treatment in total.

A huge thank you, to you, the Barretstown supporters who helped Aidan make it through the tough times and into a happier life.

Best wishes from camp,

The Barretstown Team

Dear friend,

When Abbie got ill, it really affected the whole family. Everything changed for everyone in our house.

We couldn’t have people coming in because they might bring in germs, which would be disastrous for Abbie while she was having chemo. That was hard for Abbie’s sisters Leila and Caitlin.

Leila and Caitlin were not allowed to have sleepovers like all their friends. It is just a little thing, I suppose, but it shows how Abbie’s illness has taken its toll on us all in lots of different ways.

But Barretstown made such a huge difference to all of us. When we first came to the family camp, we didn’t know what to expect. I suppose we were maybe a bit anxious about going – but that went out of the window after a couple of hours of being here. We had one of the best weekends we’ve had since Abbie got sick.

There’s just so much we took away from the weekend. It gave Abbie a whole new outlook and showed her that there are things worth looking forward to in life – things that aren’t hospital visits or chemo appointments.

In fact, you could say that Abbie’s stay at Barretstown has really transformed her life. Before her visit, she was so sad and fearful. But now she’s got so much of her energy and enthusiasm back. It’s such a lovely thing to see.

I really think it’s helping her to face the future with more energy and confidence – and that’s got to make it easier for her to get better.

Thank you so much for the support you have given Barretstown, I know from experience just how much of a difference it makes.

Yours truly,

Andrea

(Camper Mum)