Mum hosts ball to say thanks for charitable support

A Mum will host her first ever charity ball this Autumn to show her gratitude to The Sick Children’s Trust for supporting her with free accommodation when her son was seriously ill in hospital.

Suzan Cain, from Colchester, hopes to raise thousands of pounds for the charity to say thank you for its help during her time of need. Last year, Suzan’s 19-year-old son Nathan needed corrective surgery for scoliosis at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, far away from home. For three nights, The Sick Children’s Trust supported Suzan and Neil at Acorn House, just a few minutes away from Nathan’s side. Suzan, who will be hosting ‘Nathan’s Extravaganza’ on Saturday 8 October, says:

“We cannot praise Acorn House enough – it is an amazing place and truly a ‘Home from Home’. It was something completely different to what we’ve always known as hospital life after years of treatment. Staying there took a huge weight off our shoulders.

“We were given our own private bedroom at Acorn House, and there was a communal kitchen, dining room and living room which gave us the opportunity to share our load with other parents. It was actually very emotional speaking to other parents, as we were in their position 19 years ago.

“When Nathan was born he was very poorly and at just four days old he was transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for specialist treatment. Lots of families we met at Acorn House were experiencing that. It brought all those feelings of stress, worry and hardship back. But what is very clear is that Acorn House helps with those feelings by providing a ‘Home from Home’ offering practical support and emotional support.

Nathan was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus soon after birth, and over the years other conditions emerged cerebral palsy, worster-drought syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and scoliosis. Nathan has only one functional kidney and a rare chromosomal genetic condition, which have all come together to cause his brave struggle. For years, we have been going back and forth to Addenbrooke’s, but we had never known about Acorn House. We hope that this charity ball will not only raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust, but raise awareness of the brilliant work the charity does.”

‘Nathan’s Extravaganza’ will be held on Saturday 8 October at Marks Tey Hotel, from 6:30pm – midnight. There will be a drinks reception, two course hot buffet dinner, 80’s themed disco and an exciting live auction and raffle. Tickets cost £35 per person, and all monies raised will be split between The Sick Children’s Trust, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust and The J’s Hospice. House Manager, Sandra Peckham, says:

“Acorn House and all of The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Homes from Home’ are incredibly valuable to families with seriously ill children in hospital. Our ‘Homes from Home’ keep families together at the most crucial times, helping their sick child recover. For Nathan, who is such a brave lad, it was very important that he had his Mum and Dad there with him, to calm his nerves and reassure him that everything would be fine. That’s why we are here, so families can be by their loved one’s hospital bedside.

“We run ten ‘Homes from Home’ up and down the country and it costs us around £30 per night to support a family. Each room has a direct telephone line to the ward so if and when the family pop over to do their laundry, make a cup of tea or just spend five minutes gathering their thoughts, their minds are at ease because the ward can contact them at any time.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to Suzan for choosing us as one of three charities to support, and we really hope the night is a huge success.”

If you would like to find out more about ‘Nathan’s Extravaganza’, please visit http://bit.ly/1Tr2vKl.

*Sponsorship packages are still available for the evening including the headline sponsor. The headline sponsor’s logo will feature on all promotional materials; it will receive a ½ page print in the evening’s programme and a table of ten worth £350. For more information, please email nathan.extravaganza@gmail.com