SCOTLAND’S children’s hospices have launched their annual festive fundraising appeal, urging people to support dying children and their families this Christmas amid the cost of living crisis.
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) says that while everyone is feeling the pinch this festive season, for its families the challenge is even greater.
Many families have to contend with being forced out of work to care for their children, deal with the daily struggle to pay for fuel to attend various medical appointments; and live in fear of blackouts as well as deal with the soaring costs of food and energy bills.
Every week, three children in Scotland die from a life-shortening condition and now, more than ever before, CHAS says it is determined to reach every single child who needs its help.
This year’s Christmas appeal depicts the heartbreak faced by families whose children die young and highlights the urgency to raise funds to provide crucial care.
Monica Currie, CHAS’s family income maximisation officer said: “Christmas is a daunting time for many CHAS families. This year many families have not had the time and capacity to think about the festive period because they are focused on how to pay their bills.
“Working families who are not in receipt of benefits are particularly worried about the cost of living crisis and the challenges they face to reduce their energy bills.
“Humidifiers, suction machines, ventilators and oxygen concentrators all use up a tremendous amount of electricity and it’s not something that can be rationed.
“Families have also mentioned the risk of blackouts and power cuts and the threat of their energy being cut off if they can’t pay their bills. This is incredibly frightening.
“Donations to this year’s appeal will enable families who have a child with a life-shortening condition to benefit from respite breaks at the charity’s Robin and Rachel House hospices and for children and siblings to enjoy making Christmas memories together.”
The CHAS Christmas campaign is centred on Dana Leese and her family from Glasgow. Dana’s little boy Auley James was cared for at Robin House, one of CHAS’s hospices based in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.
Dana, 34, said: “The support CHAS has provided since Auley James died has been amazing and we are grateful to it more than ever now as a result of my family being impacted by the cost of living crisis.
“I had to give up work due to my mental health deteriorating after the loss of Auley James, and as a family we are definitely feeling the strain of rising costs in the run up to Christmas this year.”
Auley James was born nine days before Christmas in 2018, a brother for Dana’s three daughters – Daisy, five, Sophia, three, and Caoimhe, two – with her partner, Gary.
Sadly, he wasn’t able to breathe properly and had to be rushed to the ICU ward for immediate ventilation.
When Dana returned from theatre for treatment for post-birth complications, doctors there was “something seriously wrong” with her baby.
Further tests showed he had an encephalocele, a rare type of neural tube defect where part of the skull does not form correctly and a portion of brain sits outside the skull in a protruding sac.
After Christmas, arrangements were made for the family to go Robin House for Auley James to spend his last days and receive specialist end-of-life care.
Dana said: “When we got to Robin House the staff were like real life angels, greeting us with open arms.
“All the festive decorations were still up and it looked beautiful. All our washing was done for us on site and lovely home meals were provided for all of us every day.”
After Auley James’s death, his family continued to receive support from Robin House.
Since then, Dana has fundraised for CHAS through various events including Kiltwalk and zip slides and is also now a CHAS volunteer.
She continues to be supported by CHAS through bereavement counselling and finds comfort engaging with other families through a CHAS community Facebook page.
To donate to the appeal, visit www.chas.org.uk/get-involved/support-us/christmas-appeal
