Abby's Heroes

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it has massive financial repercussions on the parents as often one or both parents need to give up work or take unpaid leave to care for their sick child. On average, families spend an additional £600 per month when their child is diagnosed with cancer - CANC£R COSTS: CLIC Sargent 2016. Abby’s Heroes supports families when their child is having treatment by awarding Financial Hardship Grants to help relieve the financial crisis parents find themselves facing as a result of their child’s diagnosis. These grants can be for a host of reasons such as rent or mortgage payments, household bills and other everyday living costs while the child is in hospital or additional travel costs to hospital. These grants are applied for by the Young Lives vs Cancer Social Work team on Piam Brown Ward and the Teenage and Young Adult Unit (TYA) at University Hospital Southampton and we pay families direct into their bank account. We understand the devastating impact on the physical, financial and emotional health and wellbeing of the whole family, both during and after treatment and beyond. To assist with this, Abby’s Heroes supports families with a range of practical measures and programmes to help families going through the harsh reality of childhood cancer. Our support includes: Welfare Packs Each family of a newly diagnosed child on Piam Brown and the Teenage and Young Adult Unit (TYA) will receive a Welfare Pack which has a voucher for the Hospital Car Park and Gift Cards for the Hospital Outlets at M&S, Costa and WHSmith to help with the initial costs (approx. £120) These are issued by the Young Lives vs Cancer team on Piam Brown Ward. Please speak to your Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker if you have not received this. Financial Hardship Grants We offer financial grants to help with the additional costs of caring for a child/young person. These grants are applied for by the Young Lives vs Cancer team on Piam Brown Ward and the Teenage and Young Adult Unit (TYA) at University Hospital Southampton and we pay families direct into their bank account. These can be for a variety of reasons such as help towards the rent/mortgage payment, travel costs to hospital, living costs in hospital, equipment, etc. Please speak to your Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker if you are struggling with the extra costs and they may be able to apply for a grant from Abby’s Heroes. End of Treatment Awards We want children, together with their families, to acknowledge their courage, strength and determination by “Ringing the Bell” and celebrate with our End of Treatment Award. We understand the gruelling treatment and invasive procedures they have gone through as well as all the missed special occasions they have been too unwell to join in. Each child who “Rings the Bell” on Piam Brown will receive £200 to spend on a treat for themselves. When your child “Rings the Bell” on the Ward, you will be given an envelope and asked to get in touch with us. We provide End of Treatment Awards for children on Piam Brown Ward. Counselling Service We know that the impact of cancer is far wider than the immediate or ongoing treatment, together with the long term effect on a child or the Young Person diagnosed with cancer. We understand the huge range of emotions you may experiencing such as anxiety, fear, exhaustion, feelings of sadness, anger at your family’s situation, loneliness or feelings of helplessness. Many family members continue to juggle the demands of work and childcare which can add to feelings of stress, fatigue and generally being overloaded. We believe that many parents may find it easier to talk to someone outside of their friends and family and may benefit from speaking to a professional Counsellor. The Counsellor will listen to you and will help you to discuss your feelings and worries. They will help you identify some emotional and physical coping mechanisms. Counselling is completely unique because you can talk freely and with complete honesty as a Counsellor will never judge you or criticise you. They are an impartial individual who sits completely out with your circle of family and friends. Whether you're in the midst of treatment or are years beyond – it’s vital to get the support you need to cope. We want to ensure that no parent feels alone and unable to seek professional help to support them through the challenges of childhood cancer. Please contact us at [email protected] if you wish to use this service. Weekly Food Deliveries Once a week, our Family Support Workers bring a picnic and an evening meal to every family on the Piam Brown Ward. Parents are not provided for whilst in hospital and are often unable to leave their desperately ill child alone whilst they go and buy food in the expensive food outlets downstairs in the hospital. This delivery is warmly welcomed by those on the ward. Friday nights are Domino’s Pizza and Ice Cream Nights and these are personalised by the Family Support Workers who ensure that everyone gets their favourite pizza! Snack Boxes We provide a snack box on Piam Brown Ward so you can grab something to eat if your child is admitted as an emergency, too poorly to leave the ward etc. Please do let us know if there is anything you would like to have in the Snack Box. COVID-19 Response We understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has made life very difficult on the Piam Brown Ward. To help with this and improve the morale of everyone on the ward, Abby’s Heroes has been arranging pizza deliveries on Saturday nights and sandwiches/picnic food on one day during the week from awell-known store. In addition, we have provided individual toys and activities for the children (and parents!) to help relieve the boredom and pass the long hours in hospital - Meccano, Trump cards, Painting by numbers, Uno to name but a few things!! These things don’t change the dreadful time children, parents and staff are facing at this difficult time but hopefully it makes it a little more bearable for a short while during these extraordinary times.