Give Seriously ill Children their Childhood Back

I hope you are well. I wanted to share with you a story about Daryl who came to Barretstown as a camper when he was 8. He returned as a Cara in his teens. And now he’s back as a volunteer Doctor in our Med Shed.

When Daryl was born he was diagnosed with severe haemophilia. His illness made him sick throughout his childhood and kept him out of school constantly. When he was 8 years old he attended a haemophilia camp at Barretstown. He found out he wasn’t alone facing the struggles that came with having haemophilia.

Most importantly, he learned from that week in camp that he could still do all the things other children could do, as he told us. “I had a fear of heights at the time. But there was this tree behind the cottage that I’d watched the other kids climb all week. I really wanted to climb it before I left and I hadn’t.

So my last night in camp I said to my cara ‘I really wish I could’ve climbed that tree. I’d hate to leave without having done it’. So they woke me up at six the next morning, took me out and I climbed that tree – I made it all the way to the top!

It typified for me what Barretstown was about – going the extra mile for a child. Barrestown builds children up, makes children try to do things they didn’t think they could do.”

Daryl decided after that night he’d return as a cara to give back to children what Barretstown gave him. He went on to pursue his dream of becoming a Doctor. After medical school, he returned as a volunteer Doctor in Barretstown’s medical facility - the Med Shed.

He’s volunteered for the past two years in Barretstown’s haemophilia camps. Even in the Med Shed, Daryl says it’s all about helping children feel like they can do anything. “Prior to coming to camp, in some cases, the children’s Parents do all of their injections. The children haven’t taken the leap of faith to start injecting their own haemophilia factor.

So every day we’d gather these children in the Med Shed and teach them how to do their own injections. I’ve seen these same children back the following year who tell me the first time they did their own injections was in camp. And they’ve been doing it by themselves ever since.

It’s great experiencing camp from the Med Shed, seeing how even from here, we’re able to help children push their own boundaries.” Pushing boundaries is something that Daryl believes Barretstown helped him with as a child. Like so many campers we meet, Daryl came to camp and left with an important part of himself that his illness had taken away. “Every time I left camp with a growing sense of selfconfidence and greater selfesteem. It’s something you can’t really get anywhere else except at Barretstown.”

We have many campers like Daryl who have gone on to achieve some incredible things, with the help of Barretstown, and supporters like you!

Yours sincerely,

Mark Hughes
Corporate Account Manager

Dear supporter

Higher rates of cancer diagnosis and improved survival rates are leading to an increase in demand for our services, as more and more children and families face the long road through treatment.

Barretstown helps children and their families deal with the emotional and physiological scares often left after months and years of treatment.

The Barretstown programme is endorsed by leading medical professionals and has become internationally recognised as having a profound and lasting impact on the lives of children with serious illness.

After participating, children go home with increased confidence, self-esteem and the skills they need to face the rest of their journey to recovery.

With your help in 2016 we have achieved so much and have brought the magic of Barretstown to more children than ever before! In 2017 we want to run more camps and reach more children than ever before. Next year with the help of supporters like you we will run at least 10 Spring Family Camps, 7 week long Summer Camps and 9 Autumn Family Camps.

Thank you so much for your support!

Mark