We all hoped that 2021 would be better than 2020; I think its fair to say that so far it definitely is not. As a charity we have dialled back our public campaigns as we know that it is a difficult time for eveyone. That said we are still trying to support families affected by childhood cancer as best we can and it is with this in mind that we can reveal some fantastic news...
Next month, the psychology team at The John Radcliff Hospital (JR) are looking to appoint a psychologist who will support families being treated between the JR and The Great Western Hopspital in Swindon (GWH). This is a landmark moment for our charity and is what we have been campaigning for since our inception in 2019. Families who previously found it difficult to access the psychology service at the JR can now have weekly access to support at the Oncology Clinic, held every Thursday, at GWH. This psychologist will also feed into multidisciplinary meetings where the Paediatric Oncology Team will also be able to gain an insight into how to support families that are in need. We are so proud to be providing the funding for this role and hope to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We know this will have a positive impact on the mental health of families and children who are dealing with the stresses of childhood cancer.
Funds raised in 2020 have also been providing food parcels and COOK meals for families throughout the many lockdowns instigated to curb the impact of COVID-19. All families are so grateful to have one less worry during what is an extremely uncertain time.
As always, we are so happy to have such strong support and look forward to being able to run lots more campaigns when COVID-19 is finally under control. Until then, stay safe and take care of each other.