A FROME mum who has supported her nine-year-old son through treatment for Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia (ALL), is preparing to walk up Pen y Fan in South Wales to fund a refurbishment of the playroom at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
Hayley Davis’ son, Finley-Jack, was diagnosed with ALL in December last year. He is now in remission, but still has another two years of treatment to go through.
Next month, Hayley will trek up Pen y Fan in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (formerly known as Brecon Beacons) with colleagues from Wessex Lodge School and close friends, and also plans to organise other fundraising events throughout the year to boost the overall total.
Hayley said, “I wanted to start fundraising for the playroom as it’s old and it needs refurbishing. How do you give back to the doctors and nurses that have saved lives, I felt like this was a nice way to give something back.”
The target was initially to raise £1,000, but this was reached within 24 hours through Facebook shares.
Hayley said, “Myself and some colleagues with close friends will be walking up Pen y Fan next month which we are really looking forward to. I am also hoping to organise a fun day, bingo and some other events.
“Being able to fundraise for the RUH has helped us take our minds off the situation. Finley-Jack thinks it’s brilliant that we have fundraised, he is so proud.”
Raising awareness of ALL and its symptoms is also Hayley’s motivation. She said, “We thought Finley-Jack had a cold as his symptoms were not that different. The doctor didn’t pick it up either as the symptoms were very normal. I want to raise awareness to parents who do need to know the symptoms and know about this, to ensure it is caught as early as possible.”
Finley-Jack is a student at Berkley C of E First School, where he has had some time off for treatment. He will soon be going to Selwood Academy. Hayley said, “Treatment will continue for two years but we are in summer and Finley is starting to slowly return to school and meeting up with his two best friends. Even though it’s still a long way to go, we celebrate these smalls steps in the right direction.”
Paediatric matron, Vicki Martin said, “Our playroom is a huge part of the family-centred care we provide in the children’s ward. It helps children and young people feel safe and cared for, and provides a much-needed distraction to help make a hospital stay as positive as it can be.
“We’re really excited to be working with our long-term partners Time is Precious on this refurbishment project, which will help us to deliver even more activities. We’re so grateful to Hayley for fundraising to support us, and wish her lots of luck on her trek.”
Just Giving page – https://www.justgiving.com/page/fundraiseforfinley?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=one_page&utm_content=page%2Ffundraiseforfinley&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=bc1801a236b04851ad32e9a888ad863d&fbclid=IwAR3_zd8EQOcYcIlPePKnQMDjSHUqQsZ40Y16etMGJMbSIARCMLt0QYqdAig
