Photo: Noah 8, with his Mum, Jill’
“I know that WellChild is there to support us every step of the way” Jill, Noah’s Mum
We are very grateful indeed to our presenter Gaby Roslin for bringing our work to life and to all those who kindly donated towards WellChild’s appeal which raised £8,253. ±«Óãtv Lifeline was a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase our work supporting seriously ill children and their families across the UK.
More than 100,000 children and young people are living with serious health needs. Many spend months, even years in hospital simply because there is no support enabling them to leave. Meanwhile those who are at home are constantly challenged by inconsistent and inadequate levels of support.
- We believe that every child, young person and their family must have:The opportunity to be cared for at home whenever and wherever possible.
- Access to high quality, appropriate care and services whatever their health needs.
- Involvement in all decisions regarding their care.
Through our nationwide network of children’s nurses, home and garden transformation projects, family training and 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.
We were delighted to introduce eight year old Noah, who spent the first nine months of his life in hospital. Following lots of tests including a lung biopsy, it was discovered that Noah has a very rare lung condition. He was one of only 19 children in the world to have it and the first child ever diagnosed in the UK.
Noah had a tracheostomy and was put onto a ventilator, which helps him to breathe. He needs round the clock 1-2-1 care by someone who is ventilator trained and trained in tracheostomy care and resuscitation. Noah’s mum, Jill, is his main carer. Jill undertakes a highly skilled, medical caring role to ensure that Noah can be cared for at home and it is imperative that her skills are up to date.
WellChild has state of the art facilities where parents like Jill can undertake specialist training in the medical care that their child needs. Parents are able to regularly refresh their skills, which is so important and as a result, children like Noah are able to live at home with their family.
“Since we’ve been home, Noah has done fabulously. Here is where he first sat up, first walked and first learnt to play his guitar. These are experiences you don’t get in hospital. To have him home is to have him as one of the family. I am his main carer and his life is literally in my hands…”
Jill, Noah’s Mum
To find out more about our work, please visit our .