Alec’s Smile Account

 

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Update from Helen & Douglas House

Dear all,

I just thought I’d update you on the Home Volunteer Project, which helps families with practical & friendly support in their homes, enabling them to concentrate on the important things.

We currently have 6 specially trained volunteers who are helping families in their homes. 10 more are either being currently matched with a family or receiving training. 2 specifically take care of gardens and a building company has donated 12 days a year to help with repairs & maintenance etc.

We just wouldn’t be able to help as many families as we do without your wonderful support in Alec’s memory.  It really means so much to them.

 

Helen & Douglas House

 Helen & Douglas House

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PJ’s story

Peter, or PJ as he prefers to be called, is a sixteen year old youngster from Dagenham, who is a great West Ham supporter. He lives with his mum, Kathleen, and has a sister Charlotte, and two brothers, Antony, and Ashley.  Although since March of this year, PJ has been in the University College Hospital (UCH), Euston, after he was diagnosed with having Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).After intense chemotherapy, PJ unfortunately contracted septicaemia and was on a life support machine for a week. This left him with muscle wastage and in a wheelchair. He is currently on a plan to rebuild his strength and it is hoped that, in time, PJ will make a full recovery from this.However, quite understandably, at this moment in time, the youngster is very down. This was an important year for him at school, but he missed his exams and the end-of-year prom. Alec’s Angels set out to see what they could do to cheer up PJ and make him ‘smile’. His sister, Charlotte, contacted the charity and said that her brother would love an iPad, so this is what Alec’s Angels is currently raising funds for. PJ loves party music, and his favourite groups are One Direction and JLS. He also likes action films, such as Spiderman and the X Men, so this new kind of ‘tablet computer’ is just the thing for him to use whilst he is recovering. Not only does Alec’s Angels plan to give PJ an iPad, but they want to provide him with all the accessories that go with it.The Local Borough of Barking and Dagenham have been very helpful towards this family and are currently installing a new kitchen and wet-room to accommodate PJ when he returns home. There is other work needed in the house and Alec’s Angels is looking to see what it can do in this regard.This is a wonderful help for mum Kathleen and she is very grateful, but Alec’s Angels want to do something for her personally. She has gone through the mill these last four months with watching her young lad being so poorly and it was felt that it would be nice to do something for her as well.We give PJ, Kathleen, and the rest of the family our very best wishes for their future.

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Alec’s Angels in Action

Sunshine & Smiles

Thanks to Robbie Williams & Olly Murs

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On Friday 5th July, Alec’s Angels made it possible for 3 young adults, Leoni Willet, Libby Turner & Sarah Louise Long, who have been diagnosed with cancer, to see Robbie Williams on

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his ‘Take the Crown’ stadium tour in Wembley.

They were met by Brian Jarvis, Trustee of Alecs Angels, at ‘The Club Wembley’ entrance to the Stadium and were presented with their tickets and spending money, so they could buy t-shirts and programmes.  Also representatives from Alec’s Angels were on hand and chapero

ned the girls inside the Concert, to make insure their day was as special and enjoyable as it could be.

Sarah Louise, who was unable to get to the concert, due to transport difficulties, was picked up in a chauffeur driven car, courtesy of Alec’s Angels, and driven to the concert and back home again afterwards. After the Concert Sarah’s Auntie Lorraine who accompanied her said, “The Concert was amazing and really was a reprieve, as it has been a hard few months for Sarah”.

Leoni and Libby both had a fabulous night and thanked us for the chance to see Robbie Williams & Olly Murs.

As you can see from the pictures the smiles keep coming, this we can only do with the help and support of all our fundraisers.

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 IT’S A KNOCKOUT 2012

rsz_img_2958Last year the people of Winslow and surrounding villages & towns came out in force to support Alecs Angels on June 24th 2012. Over 2000 people raised in excess of £7,000 with Graham Fisher’s International It’s a Knockout as the main event.

The money raised has gone to support families and children who are receiving treatment for cancer. This provided practical support and helped to bring a smile to their faces, whether in hospital or at home.

Below are details of where your money has gone:

The Alec’s Smile fund which was set up to brighten the lives of children on Kamran Ward at The Children’s Hospital in Oxford, were happy to receive a cheque for £2000. This is the most direct way that we can support the dedication of the medical team there, who strive to ensure that both children and their family remain paramount during treatment. Some of this money was used to provide a special gift to a terminally ill teenager. The family had hoped to attend the Winter Wonderland in London, but when this was not possible medically the money was used in part payment for a laptop so that the teenager could access social networking and the internet from the comfort of her room. Her mum was delighted that this was made possible, but not as delighted as the teenager, who continues to make daily use of the gift.

Helen & Douglas House Hospice in Oxford were also delighted to receive a cheque for £2000. This money has helped to fund volunteers to assist with the practical things when a family goes home after their child’s stay at the Hospice. The volunteers help out with everyday chores such as gardening, cleaning and tidying, things that can often overwhelm families caring for their child who is terminally ill. Helping with these tasks means that the families can concentrate on the important things.  rsz_img_2763

Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund make a positive difference to the lives of children suffering with cancer and leukaemia throughout the Uk, by offering practical, financial and emotional support to the whole family. They were also happy to receive a cheque for £2000 which has been used to provide a range of projects such as care grants and respite breaks. One of the projects is the holiday home hamper scheme, which consists of hampers made up and sent out to the holiday homes – containing all the essentials like tea bags, milk & bread to keep them going, allowing the families to relax and enjoy the time without the worry of food essentials. The money has also funded special days out, such visits to the seaside.

Clic Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children & young people, and helps families and supports children and young people from birth to 24years old. They .received a cheque for £500 which has helped with funding free accommodation close to the hospital , nurses & social workers to support parents & siblings & the patient in hospital.

Sarah & Michael Rego, are the parents of an 8 year old boy, Antonio.who had terminal cancer. They also received £500 which helped towards funeral costs and enabled them to give their son the best send off .

So a big Thank you from Alec’s Angels, with your continued support we can make the smiles keep on coming.
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THE GAWCOTT MILE

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Alec’s Angels would like to thank the people who took part in the Gawcott Mile on Saturday 16th March, and raised over £1000. Some of the money was used to buy Easter craft kits from Hobby Craft in Milton Keynes. A special mention must also go to James the Manager who gave us a sizeable discount too.

 

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The Craft kits were then taken to the ‘kamran Ward’ at the John Radcliff Hospital and Helen & Douglas House in Oxford. The items were greatly received as the children who are currently undergoing treatment for cancer, could then join in the Easter fun from their beds. The play assistants have reported that they thoroughly enjoyed the activities and it brought many a smile to their faces.

With the continuous support we can keep those smiles coming!

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STORY PUBLISHED IN THE BUCKS HERALD

Community rallies round for Antonio

Sarah Rego, Michael and Antonio

Sarah Rego, Michael and Antonio

 

 Sarah Rego, whose son Antonio is dying of a brain tumour, made a heartfelt appeal for a horse and carriage, with the hope of giving her son ‘the best send-off they could think of’.

Ms Rego says she has been overwhelmed by the number of people who have come forward wanting to help, and their kindness has even brought Antonio’s father to tears.

“The fact that so many people have come forward to help my son is really amazing,” she said.

“We’ve had such an incredible response I can’t even believe it. People have been so very generous. It’s such a wonderful feeling knowing that so many people care. We’ve even had people call us up just to give us their love and to tell us they are thinking of us.

“One man came forward from a charity called Alec’s Angels, whose own son passed away. He brought in a donation of £500, and it turned out we knew him, as his son had 
radiotherapy at the same time as Anton. It was so lovely just to see a familiar face again.”

A white horse and carriage has also been donated to the family, as well as money to pay for the service and headstone.

Children from Aston Clinton School, which Antonio attended, have also raised more than £500 from a village sale they organised on their own.

Extracted from The Bucks Herald   http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/more-news/community-rallies-round-for-antonio-1-4025029

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Alec’s Smile Fund

Spring/Summer Update 2012

It has been a pleasure to be able to make use of Alec’s Smile Fund for our children and their families this year, and we are very grateful for the creative ways it has allowed us to support those in need of a smile whilst enduring the trials of gruelling cancer treatment.

In April it was extremely exciting to see a group of our teenagers aged 12-14 years head off for a weeks skiing in France with other young people from around the south east.  Through Alec’s Smile Fund we were able to contribute some money to each teenager towards the costs of their travel insurance and individual goggles and gloves., whilst another charity organised board, lodgings and tuition.  The week was a massive success and a chance for our youngsters to regain some independence and confidence in the wake of their diagnosis and treatment.  In fact one young lady who had not been able to talk about her treatment or her future came home from the trip and the following day completed a piece of homework in which she was able to describe her cancer journey and look forward positively to the future.  What price can you possibly put on enabling a child to believe in their future again?

Alec’s Angels also came to the rescue both financially and in person to help one of our young adults facing terminal cancer, marry her partner.  Not only did Alecs’ dad Brian chauffeur the groom and best man to the church and deliver  the bridesmaids safely back to the reception after the service, but Alec’s Angel’s also ensured the bride and groom had a wedding cake on their special day.  The wedding was described by the bride as ‘the best day of my life’ and the pictures now adorning their walls simply say it all.

The fund has ensured that we have been able to provide family days out for those whose children have been too poorly to enjoy a holiday this year.  And for those children on the ward, we were able to host a lovely Jubilee party on Kamran’s Ward that involved cake decorating, non alcoholic jubilee cocktails and a sing song of the National Anthem!

Special thanks must go to the supporters of Alec’s Angels and The Smile Fund for the gift of a specialist Apple Ipad for the children on Robin’s ward at The Children’s Hospital, Oxford.

Alec himself benefitted from, and enjoyed, this kind of technology as he recovered in from his surgery and treatment and so it seems a fitting tribute that other children facing similar challenges to him are able to benefit for such an important communication and entertainment tool after invasive neurosurgery.

Finally, whilst the fund was always designed to bring a smile to the face of children, at the most challenging times this is sometimes done by relieving huge financial burdens on parents.  Three families in particular, who by pure coincidence all have children with brain tumours, have benefitted from the Fund in recent months to address significant hardship because of a change in their child’s condition.  For each of these cases, income had reduced as parents spent precious time with their children and in doing so lost out on paid income.  To be able to offer this without delay and to see the relief on parent’s faces is something we are incredibly grateful for and something that we know we are very lucky to have.

And so once again, thank you Alec, for having a heart and soul big enough to see the needs of others, and to those who loved and cared for him enough to  make his desire a reality.

Gemma Downes

CLIC Sargent Social Worker, Oxford