Mum's tea party raises hundred to thank charities for support

A Mum whose daughter became seriously ill with septic shock after catching chicken pox has thanked two charities that helped her, and her daughter while she received specialist treatment.

Rachel Oyoo, 33-years-old, from Luton, threw an Afternoon Tea Party last month raising over £750 for The Sick Children's Trust and The UK Sepsis Trust to thank both charities for the support she has received this year.

The Sick Children's Trust provided Rachel with a free-of-charge room in their 'Home from Home' Acorn House so that she could be by her daughter's side. Rosie, now three-years-old, received specialist treatment for septic shock following a Strep A infection at Addenbrooke's hospital, Cambridge, over 40 miles away from home. Mum Rachel says:

“Because awareness of sepsis is so poor amongst the public and medical professionals the signs were missed which is why she went into shock. Originally, she was treated at our local hospital but was unresponsive – she therefore was ventilated and transferred by a specialist team to Addenbrooke's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

“Once I was allowed in to see her, I was pleased to see she looked so settled. There was a lovely nurse who handed me a set of keys and said 'why don't you try and get some sleep?' It was 3am and I hadn't even thought about where I would be staying.

“It was such a relief. At such a stressful time it was a comfort to have somewhere clean and safe to stay which was just a two minute walk from my daughter. It's hard to leave your child when they are so unwell, but knowing you can get there in such a short time made a huge difference. And to know I could ring straight through to Rosie's nurse using the direct line in the room was very reassuring.”

The Sick Children's Trust believes keeping families together significantly improves the recovery of seriously ill children. Alongside providing free, high-quality 'Home from Home' accommodation, the charity also provides emotional and practical support. Acorn House Manager, Sandra Peckham, says:

“We'd like to thank Rachel and her family for such a generous donation, she went far beyond her target of £500 which is fantastic – we really appreciate every penny that's fundraised. It costs us on average £28 per night to provide a family with a room so that they can be close to a child, so for a family who has stayed with us to do a fundraiser really is something special.”

Rachel, who is now focusing on raising awareness of both charities, continues:

“I don't know what I would have done without Acorn House. You can't stay on PICU for obvious reasons so without Acorn House I would have been lost. I was an hour's drive from home and there was no way I could have left her knowing it would take an hour to get back. It was also such a great support to have someone there I could talk to – there was a particularly stressful time when Rosie was still very unstable and I really took a lot of comfort in being able to chat to the team.”

For further information about The Sick Children's Trust, please visit: www.sickchildrentrust.org