We went to visit Christopher's Hospice today. We spent a lovely evening there, looking around, having tea and playing in the garden and soft play. I could really feel my body relax there. The girls were running around having loads of fun and we all felt like this was a lovely place to come and unwind. We are going to stay there for a couple of days next week for a very well needed break. The girls' school is closed for polling and and inset day and it just happens there is a space - perfect! The children sleep downstairs and have one to one care while the rest of the family sleep in a family flat - thus enabling loads of time for the siblings. Meals are provided and there is music, multisensory room, softplay, art and craft, hydrotherapy...and a lovely garden where all 3 children have already had heaps of fun. I can't wait to go back next week - it will be a mini holiday and we can all relax and have a lot of fun together.
Of course, there is a chance that, one day, we could be facing a very different stay here as terminal care is also offered. That is the hard bit. Children referred to CHASE are not expected to live beyond the age of 19. At the moment, I couldn't imagine my little boy that old anyway. I tend not to think of him at different ages and just enjoy the day we have today with the hope that there will be many many more.
The Hospice is funded by a charity called CHASE Hospice for Children. Spurred on by the wonderful Angel, a young girl with cystic fibrosis waiting for a heart and lung transplant. Her blog is at www.pinkandsmiley.blogspot.com and is well worth a read - she is an absolute inspiration! I have decided to join the Hydro-Active Challenge to help Angel raise transplant awareness and money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and to raise money for CHASE. It costs nearly 4 million pounds to run the hospice and they just broke even last year. if you are reading this and would like to help, please sponsor me at www.justgiving.com/williammilne.
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