Ready to make a difference with cuddless and comfort this Easter?
You can be the reason a child in hospital with cancer experiences a moment of delight and distraction
Hundreds of children will spend this Easter in hospital, surrounded by strangers in unfamiliar surroundings, away from their friends and family, enduring treatment for cancer.
We're on a mission to ensure that a free kids' cancer kit is available to every child that needs one this Easter and beyond, and we want you to be part of it.
Creating Priceless Little Moments For Children With Cancer And Their Parents
Imagine it: a four year old child sits in a hospital bed, in an unfamiliar place, far away from home and surrounded by strangers. They're having cancer treatment.
Even though they might not fully understand what their disease is, or what it means, they'll pick up on the anxiety of those close to them. Sometimes they'll feel frightened, and lonely. Other times they'll feel sad and down. And they'll feel bored from time-to-time too.
Now picture the look on their face as they open an unexpected gift, delving into the mixture of toys and practical items it contains. That smile, and the distraction it provides from the discomfort of the drip in their arm, is priceless.
You can help make it happen for a child like Archie.
Archie was the picture of health. But then one weekend when he was four years old, he fell ill, and after a day of tests, his parents heard the words they'll never forget: "we think he might have leukaemia". Within days, Archie had been transferred from hospital in Salisbury to Southampton, a 40 minute drive away, where he began an intense programme of chemotherapy that would last three and a half years.
A family friend told his mum Alex about Cancer Support UK’s free Kids’ Kits, which are designed to provide comfort and distraction for children receiving cancer treatment in hospital.
“I ordered Archie a kit and he was delighted with it. He loves taking it to hospital, as it makes him more comfortable and gives him things to do.”
Archie's Kids' Kit included a special heatable sensory Warmies® bunny, thanks to generous donations from people like you who care. It's much more than just a soft toy, it provides soothing warmth and fragrant comfort whenever needed.
Archie must continue to receive daily chemotherapy, together with weekly blood tests and regular hospital appointments for intravenous chemo and lumbar punctures, until he is seven years old.
He's one of around 1,900 children diagnosed with cancer every year. By donating to our Easter Fill A Kit appeal, you'll be helping to make sure there's a Kids' Kit available free to every child that needs one. Please donate today.
What's In Our Kids' Kits?
Our free Kids' Kits have been developed over many years in response to the suggestions of children and their parents. Delivered in a handy and long-lasting canvas bag, they are packed with a mixture of practical, fun, and comforting items, and make the perfect gift for young children in hospital having cancer treatment.
- Practical items include things like antibacterial wet wipes, tissues, and more
- Fun items include puzzle books, colouring pencils, pens, and more
- Comfort items include things like colourful socks and a Warmies® bunny
Donate Today
You can help to make sure a child undergoing treatment for cancer is able to benefit from one of our Kids' Kits by making a generous, one-off donation today. A complete kit costs us around £65 to fill and send to a hospital bed, but we know that's a lot to ask for especially in the current economic climate, which is why we're asking if you'll make a contribution to the costs of our kits instead. Donating online is quick, easy, and secure.
Donate £35 towards the cost of a Kids' Kit
Donate £30 towards the cost of a Kids' Kit
Donate £18 towards the cost of a Kids' Kit
“Archie calls it Snuggles and uses it to help with pains in his legs. When it’s pouring with rain and miserable outside, Snuggles is perfect for warming Archie up.”
FAQs
How will my donation help children with cancer?
Your donation will help us to fill and send Kids' Kits to children receiving treatment for cancer in hospitals across the UK this Easter and beyond by meeting some of the costs of doing so.
Where do the Kids' Kits get sent?
Most children with cancer will have treatment at what's known as a Principal Treatment Centre (PTC). There are 20 of them across the UK, located in Southampton, Sutton in Surrey, London, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Cardiff. As you can see, they're quite spread out which adds to the costs of getting Kids' Kits to children that need them.
How many children will be in hospital receiving treatment for cancer this Easter?
It's hard to put a precise figure on it, but at any given time there can be as many as 600 children receiving treatment for cancer. Around 1,900 are diagnosed with the disease every year (that's more than five a day), a figure that's climbing.
Donate Today And Help Make Easter A Little Better For Little People In Hospital With Cancer
The generosity of people like you can really brighten the days of children living with cancer and undergoing treatment.
