Make Every Christmas Count
Please help us raise £115,000 this Christmas, so we can help many more families - just like Jack’s.
Darren and Cheryl’s youngest son Jack, died suddenly in his sleep on Boxing Day morning.
He was only 16-months old.
How does a little boy at home in bed, just die?
“We spent a wonderful Christmas Day as a family, with the boys playing with their new toys and a big dinner. We’re so thankful we have so many happy memories of that Christmas, because our world fell apart on Boxing Day, when we woke to discover Jack had suddenly died in his sleep. He went to bed a happy, healthy, well-loved little boy.”
“We don’t know how he died, and we may never get the answers.”
Jack had been a healthy little boy, with no sign that anything was wrong.
In the days following Jack’s sudden death, Darren and Cheryl were referred to Martin House, where they took Jack to be looked after, at the hospice, until his post-mortem took place.
“It felt like we’d been thrown into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in a storm at night with nowhere to go, and Martin House provided an anchor for us. We knew Jack was in a bedroom in his Christmas pyjamas and looked after, where the staff would talk to him and put on his night light.”
“The care team showed us the special bedroom where Jack would be looked after, and the room where we could stay to be near him”.
“We were able to spend time with Jack when we wanted, and the care team also created lots of keepsake items for us with his fi nger and handprints. We are so grateful Martin House took the time to create these precious mementoes for us, they will help us to keep Jack alive in our future Christmases”.
“The foundations of happiness our family was built on are gone. Our lives will never be the same again, but Martin House is still here to support us. Our bereavement counsellor at Martin House is helping us through our overwhelming grief, supporting us to find coping mechanisms for day-to-day life”.
Help us be there this Christmas when families need us most
The sudden death of a child is unimaginable at any time, but even more so at Christmas.
Your donation means that if the worst happens, we can be there to support families like Jack’s when they need us most. Enabling a family to come to Martin House, where their child can be cared for in one of our special cooled bedrooms means they can spend time saying goodbye and being supported by our expert care team.
So please, if you can, donate today.
Your donation can make a real difference
£15 – helps us provide a home-cooked meal for a bereaved family staying at the hospice with their child.
£25 – could buy materials to create hand and footprint keepsakes after a child has died, creating a precious memento for a grieving family.
£50 – can help to provide an online bereavement group session with parents, giving families the opportunity to navigate through their grief while feeling part of a community.
