“Christmas at Martin House is a really special time, it can be filled with sadness, and it can be a time for reflection. But at the same time, equally, it's a time for happiness, for memory making, and for coming together as a family.”
“One of the most poignant memories from my time at Martin House at Christmas was when I was a nurse on the care team, and I was working Christmas Eve. There was a baby and her parents in, the baby was end of life, she passed away at midnight and the parents turned to me and my colleague and said, ‘if it’s ok, we’re going to go home now’. Their son, the baby’s sibling was at home with the grandparents, and they wanted to be there for him waking up on Christmas morning to open his presents. They felt able to leave their baby with us, where she would be safe, until they could return the next day as a family.
Enabling them to feel comfortable enough for them to say what they wanted to do, is the type of work we do, that I feel is so valuable, and we do it really well at Martin House.
We felt really honoured as a team, that the family felt able to go home and leave their baby who had passed away, with us at Martin House. Trust that we were going to look after her, so that they could go home to spend time with their other child and family at home, on Christmas morning.”
My Christmas wish is that families are able to find some joy, in what can be an incredibly difficult time.
Please help us to raise vital funds this Christmas, so that we can help families to make and treasure such special memories of every precious Christmas they have with their child.
£10 could help to keep our phone lines running, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So, that families can call us anytime they need us.
£30 could help to pay for a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, for a family staying at Martin House to enjoy together.
£50 could help bring the magic to our family Christmas party, helping to fund those extra little touches and activities that make it so special.