How you can help raise funds for Alder Hey Children’s Charity *

AD | As a parent, knowing your child is very sick is one of the very worst feelings in the world.  Flora’s cousin was diagnosed with Stage Four liver cancer when he was eight.  Fortunately, after months of treatment, a transplant, and support from an amazing children’s charity, he’s now out of danger.  So I was only too happy to help raise awareness of Alder Hey Children’s Charity.  And to showcase the difference they make to families and young patients who benefit from receiving the very best treatment they can offer.  Here’s a little more about them, and the story of Daniel Bell, one of their Fundraising Ambassadors.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity

Every year Alder Hey Children’s Hospital cares for over 330,000 patients and their families.  To help with this, Alder Hey Children’s Charity raises vital funds to make the hospital a truly world-class, patient-friendly hospital.  Since April 2013, over £43m has been raised for a range of life-saving medical equipment and facilities that are making a real difference to families every day.  But the charity still needs our support to raise funds for:

• fresh food-on-demand service as good nutrition is critical for patients who are recovering in hospital
• next-generation technology to reduce anxiety, distract patients during procedures, and to help parents relax too
• research, innovation and education to develop better, safer medicines and treatment to benefit young patients at Alder Hey and children across the world

Daniel’s story

For the first few years of Daniel Bell’s life, he was like any other toddler, full of energy, happy and full of life at home in Ormskirk.  But then, aged three, doctors discovered Daniel had a brain tumour the size of a fist.  His mum, Rosalind explains, “His personality literally changed.  He was grumpy had lots of tantrums, was sick and went back to sleeping in the day too, which was the total opposite of what he was previously.”

Daniel was taken to Ormskirk A&E, and then rushed to Alder Hey, a centre of excellence for brain conditions.  “It was like the bottom had fallen out of my world, our lives changed in a split second,” says Rosalind.

Daniel was taken straight to theatre where Neurosurgeon, Sasha Burns, drained fluid on his brain during a three hour life-saving operation.  And the next day, the whole of Daniel’s tumour was removed during a nine hour operation by Conor Mallucci, who recently featured in BBC2 documentary, Hospital.

The operation was a success, due in no small part by a pioneering 3-T MRI scanner which allows surgeons to scan the brain in theatre.  Alder Hey is the first hospital in Europe to have this kit, which was paid for by Alder Hey Children’s Charity.  “We spent the next six days on HDU to recover and then on the neuro ward for a week.  The nurses were incredible,” Rosalind says.

Daniel is now a healthy, happy and very active little boy and also a budding actor.  “He is a cheeky little kid and he loves being with his friends.  He has performed in Little Shop of Horrors with his local Performing Arts Club and he loves to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity.”

Alder Hey Fundraising Ambassadors

As a result of his fundraising, Daniel was named a Fundraising Ambassador for Alder Hey Children’s Charity.  “It is an honour and a privilege,” said Rosalind.  “Alder Hey is such an inspirational place, full of amazing people.  The staff put the children first, often at the expense of their own time.  It is impossible to put into words how world class they are at what they do.”

All of the Alder Hey Children’s Charity ambassadors help to raise money for the charity.  This is so it can continue to provide vital funds to provide those life-saving medical equipment and facilities.

Recently, the charity installed distraction technology in many rooms to help divert attention away from the necessary treatment or medical examinations.  And to entertain young patients with colourful, bright and positive images projected on the walls.  This immersive technology helps to transform a white walled room into a magical world, where children can escape from reality and be free from fear and anxiety.

How can you help Alder Hey raise funds?

To be able to continue to provide innovative solutions such as the distraction technology, and provide vital funds for Alder Hey, the charity relies on the support and kindness of the public.  There are many fun and exciting ways for people to help and support Alder Hey Children’s Charity, such as hosting a bake sale, a charity car wash, or signing up to run a charity race.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity has recently launched a brand-new running hub to inspire and motivate people to run for charity.  With delicious recipe ideas, running tips, running training plans, and 5k, 10K, half marathon and marathon training guides, if you’d like to challenge yourself to run a 5K, 10K or even a marathon, do go and check them out today.

We’re very fortunate that Flora is (touch wood) so fit, healthy, and happy.  But it’s every parent’s nightmare that something life-threatening could happen to their child.  And it’s often only after it happens that we think about fundraising to help the hospitals and charities who support us.  Collaborating on this content for Alder Hey has reminded me of that, and I hope this article has given you some food for thought and tips on how you too can help this wonderful charity.

* This is a sponsored post.