The Children’s Hospital #Poundselfie
WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, EVERY £1 COUNTS
SHARE YOUR #POUNDSELFIE AND HELP MAKE IT BETTER FOR OUR PATIENTS
As the dreaded Christmas credit card bill lands and the purse strings grow ever tighter,
But any donation, no matter how small, can make a big difference to the lives of young charitable giving is often the furthest thing from people’s minds when January rolls around.
patients at The Children’s Hospital. Just one pound can buy glitter for the Play Specialists to engage long-term patients in activities to break up their day. Just a few pounds can buy small pieces of equipment, such as a hairdryer for Rose Cottage mortuary, or flashing toys for the eye department.
David Vernon-Edwards, director of The Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Every £1 counts, and a lot of pounds can make a lot of difference. If everyone in Sheffield donated £1, the charity would have £500,000 – the same amount the charity spent on a life-saving CT scanner in 2010. If everyone in Yorkshire gave £1, we would have millions of pounds to help transform the lives of the children who come from all over the county, all over the UK and the world to be treated here.”
One of those children, Benji Robinson, 3, is being treated at the hospital for leukaemia, after being diagnosed in September – just a month after his birthday.
“He used to be so energetic” said mum Louise, who lives in Burncross. “He never sat still, and would always be playing. But now he doesn’t have the same energy. Two weeks ago he couldn’t even walk. He would just fall down, and every time he would fall I wanted to cry. In the end he just gave up trying. He was like that for six weeks.”
Benji has been on chemotherapy for two months, and although some cancer still remains, he is now in remission.
“When I found out he was in remission I burst into tears” said Louise, “but he still has to stay on chemo to make sure the last bits of the leukaemia are gone. It makes him so ill. During his last round, he was so sick that he couldn’t keep anything down and had to take a week off it to give his body chance to recover. That was the best week. It was amazing to see he was still Benji in there, and to see little glimpses of how he was before.”
Now Louise, who has helped friends raise hundreds for The Children’s Hospital Charity in the past, wants to encourage everyone to donate just £1, or whatever they can, to help patients like Benji.
She said: “People don’t realise how much the charity does. We have had so much support, and it doesn’t take a lot of money to make a difference.”
Throughout January, the Charity wants to see as many people as possible donating by texting THEO14 £1 to 70070, and sharing their #Poundselfie on Facebook and Twitter. You can also make your donation online, at www.tchc.org.uk