Darcie's Appeal

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"Your support has directly helped my daughter Darcie and I wanted to thank you for your kindness.."

- Natasha, Darcie's Mum

Natasha's Story

My name’s Natasha. I’m 39 and from Gravesend. I’ve lived here my whole life.

My partner and I have five kids. The oldest is 22, the youngest 5. Darcie is almost 9 – and I want to tell you a bit about her.

Ever since she could walk and talk, she was always singing. She’s never unhappy and always on top of the world, no matter what.

Last year, Darcie was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of bone cancer. It left us all absolutely broken. It turned our world upside down; no one knew what to expect, no one had been in this situation before – when you hear the word ‘cancer’, you lose control and automatically fear the worst.

That was until I met Tina, a Children’s Care Nurse from ellenor. She is so calming and brilliant – with all five of the kids. She doesn’t treat them differently to Darcie, or pay Darcie more attention. She’s truly amazing and we’re so lucky to have her.

When the diagnosis was given, Darcie’s life, our lives and the lives of our four children changed overnight. With Tina around, we feel more able to cope. She explained to us that the word ‘hospice’ didn’t mean my daughter was being sent to the hospice to stay. Just that ellenor’s nurses would come to our home to look after Darcie.

Keep reading Natasha's story...

What ellenor's support means to Kent families

And that’s what she does. She comes to our home and life for everybody gets so much more positive, more bearable. She comes because of the support that you and other kind neighbours have given in the past.

In a minute I want to ask if you would be good enough to give another donation so that other children in East Kent can be given the joy of ‘a Tina’ when things look very bleak.

You see, Tina’s taught me how to administer injections, so I can help care for Darcie when she’s not here. She’s carefully explained the course of Darcie’s treatment, the pain that can come and go with cancer and how my daughter could feel different, even on a day-to-day basis. Things that aren’t always explained to you in a hospital. Every time Tina’s around, she’s not just treating Darcie – she’s making us all feel less afraid.

But best of all, I love how Tina and Darcie get on. Look at the pictures. Darcie gets so much joy from Tina; she buzzes around her, bounces off her, you know what 9-year olds are like. And she gets that extra bit excited when she knows Tina’s coming.

Tina even visited Darcie’s school to help educate the staff and pupils there about her condition. When she returned to school, Darcie was happy to take off her head scarf and show her new look. She would never have done that without Tina’s encouragement and support.

When you donate to ellenor, that’s what you’re providing. Not only the amazing care my Darcie receives – the blood tests, the changing and cleaning of her tube which carries the medication into her body - but the friendship. The companionship. All the little things that go towards helping Darcie feel safe and loved and cared for – at home and at school – while she battles cancer.

So please, give what you can. Your gift will, quite literally, change the life of a local Kent and Bexley family like mine. At the darkest of times, when one of their children is seriously ill and their happiness is threatened big time, your gift of £25 or whatever sum suits you, will provide the calm reassurance and strength that an ellenor nurse brings to the home.

Your donation will mean the world to one family – thank you.

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Your donation, no matter how small, could help provide the essential care and support that children with life limiting illnesses require

Darcie's Appeal

£15
could go towards paying for a children’s registered nurse for an hour to care for children like Darcie
£33
could help pay for a home visit to administer IV chemotherapy treatment
£67
could help pay for a home visit to administer IV anti-fungal medication

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