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Susie

Comedy Night 2022

Comedy Night success

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What a night to remember!

Last night saw our second annual Comedy Night at The Comedy Store, London, hosted by our amazing Ambassador Suzi Ruffell.

Suzi RuffellSuzi curated a brilliant night of stand-up comedy featuring an amazing line-up of comedians – Alan Carr, Rosie Jones, Jen Brister, Seann Walsh and Dinesh Nathan.

Over £20,000 was raised for Spread a Smile and our work bringing joy and laughter to seriously and terminally ill children. This is an incredible amount which will make a huge  difference.

Alan Carr - Spread a Smile Comedy Night 2022A massive thank you to Suzi and all her fellow, talented comedians. Also our sponsors Canary Wharf Contractors and everyone who bought tickets and donated on the night to help ensure we can continue our vital work.

Plus thank you to Create Development, Sanjiv Patel (Westgate Healthcare), PROPER, Slingsby Gin, Valeo Snack Foods and Perfectted Energy for their support.

Sign up to our Enews to make sure you’re the first to hear about next year’s event!

Niko

Meet Niko…

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In February 2022 Niko’s, and his family’s, world was flipped upside down when at the age of just two years old, Niko was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, an aggressive type of blood cancer.

Niko was admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital where he immediately received blood tests, blood product transfusions and other urgent procedures including genetic testing, bone marrow tests, lumbar punctures, blood tests, antibiotics, steroids and high intensity chemotherapy. The family were told that Niko’s treatment plan would last at least 3 years and that it would involve 13 rounds of Chemotherapy. A long and draining future lay ahead.

By mid March 2022, Niko’s treatment was so intense, with so many negative side effects, that he stopped walking, playing and being able to move independently. After a period of investigation and tests, adjustments to his medication, consultations with physiotherapy and special aids, Niko recovered some of his mobility around the end of April. His mobility however, still isn’t 100%. It was an extremely scary and emotional time for the family. Niko continues to be very weak, gets very tired after just a few steps and his legs often just give way underneath him meaning that he falls over a lot.

There then followed other phases of treatment which once again involved a lot of hospital admissions and more chemotherapy, during which time Niko lost his hair for the fourth time. It was a relief to find out at the end of this phase that although by no means the end of the road, Niko was considered to be in remission.

Since September, Niko has been having daily chemotherapy at home to try and prevent any remaining cancer cells from reproducing and taking over again. Niko visits his local hospital, Colchester General Hospital weekly for blood tests and every four weeks for IV chemotherapy and steroids pulses. He now only

Niko Spiderman

attends Great Ormond Street Hospital every 3 months for further checks and treatment which includes lumbar punctures and infused chemotherapy into the spinal cord and fluid around the brain.

The family first came across Spread a Smile in late Spring 2022 when a member of the hospital play team gave Niko a Spread a Smile ‘walking balloon’. Niko was having an awful day, fasting before surgery and the balloon made such a difference, lifting his spirits and giving him something exciting to focus on.

As Mum Katie said: “As soon as Niko saw the balloon he started to smile. I googled Spread a Smile, as there was a sticker on the balloon, to find out more about them and got straight in touch when I saw all of the different activities they offer that I knew might help Niko. Niko started having one-to-one virtual sessions with Spread a Smile Entertainers over the summer holidays including magicians and fairies. He particularly loved the magicians who made him smile, laugh and shout at the screen every time.”

“When you are going through such a hard, draining and emotional time, seeing your child smile, even if very briefly, can mean everything.”

Please donate to our Christmas Appeal to help ensure we can continue to support children like Niko and his family, spreading a smile when it’s needed most.

Just £25 could help pay for a child to meet Santa in our virtual grotto and receive a special gift

Donate Now

Maisie and Thomas

Meet Maisie…

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Maisie’s journey began in January 2021 during the height of the second wave of Covid. After complaining of a stiff neck, an MRI revealed a mass on Maisie’s neck. She was immediately put in a neck brace and blue lighted to King’s College Hospital, where after lots of tests and weeks later, Maisie was diagnosed with Osteoblastoma – a type of benign tumour. The tumour had completely crushed her c5 vertebrae, putting her entire neck at risk.

Maisie underwent 13 hours of surgery at King’s College Hospital to remove the mass and the operation was deemed a success. However, 6 months later during a review in September 2021, the family found out that things had changed and the tumour looked different. Their worst fears were realised when Maisie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma – an aggressive form of primary bone cancer.

After an 8 week period admitted to Stanmore Hospital for DNA genomic testing, Maisie started an intensive course of six rounds of chemotherapy at University College London Hospital (UCLH) to try to shrink the tumour. Unfortunately, the chemotherapy wasn’t successful, leading to more surgery to remove the tumour which took 23 hours across 2.5 days. In October 2022, Maisie started a 6-week course of daily radiotherapy sessions to treat the remaining inoperable cancer in her neck.

Claire, Maisie’s Mum says: “When we found out about Maisie’s cancer, our world fell apart. We found ourselves living from scan to scan, sitting around in hospitals, watching our young daughter undergoing painful and upsetting surgery and treatments, whilst being separated from the rest of our family. The feelings of helplessness, desperation and extreme worry and anxiety were almost unmanageable.”

Maisie and her Mum

Spread a Smile has been supporting Maisie and her family since her treatment started – initially through virtual one-to-one sessions with our entertainers and also bedside visits from our Therapy Dog, Thomas.  These sessions have given Maisie so much joy and laughter, helping to distract her from her treatment and pain. When she feels well enough, Maisie also joins us for our Spread a Smile outings and experiences. She recently came along for our VIP trip to The Lion King in London and met other cancer patients for a fabulous cookery session and meal with the Underground Cookery School.

“Spread a Smile has helped to brighten our days during some of the darkest times. They are like a breath of fresh air and have given Maisie so much to smile about. They help us to feel normal again and forget what Maisie is going through, even if it’s for a short time. What they do is truly wonderful and I can’t thank them enough for helping my daughter to find happiness amongst the pain.”

Please donate to our Christmas Appeal to help ensure we can continue to support young people like Maisie, spreading a smile when it’s needed most.

Just £25 could help pay for a child to meet Santa in our virtual grotto and receive a special gift

Donate Now

Join our fundraising team

Join our Fundraising team

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Are you a Senior Fundraiser looking for an exciting challenge working alongside a brilliant team?

We’re recruiting for an experienced Senior Fundraising Manager on a full-time, 12-month maternity leave contract.

Click here for the Job Description and how to apply. The deadline for applications is Friday 23 December at 5pm.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Christmas Appeal 2022

Christmas Appeal 2022

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This year we’ve launched a very special Christmas Appeal to raise vital funds for seriously ill children like Lottie.

Lottie is six years old and has a rare brain tumour which sadly cannot be operated on.

For children like Lottie undergoing treatment for a serious illness, Christmas spent in hospital means time away from the comforts of home, not being able to enjoy this magical time with family and friends.

Please take a look at our Appeal page to meet Lottie in our new film and find out how you can help spread smiles to seriously ill children this Christmas.

Spread a Smile will support children like Lottie and their families through our personalised Smile Hampers packed full of hand-picked gifts, our virtual Christmas Grotto where children can meet Santa and receive a special present, through hospital visits from our Entertainers and also our virtual sessions.

We make sure that our families are able to feel a little bit of the joy and happiness of Christmas, even during some of their darkest days.

Just £25 could help pay for a child in hospital to meet Santa in our virtual grotto and receive a special gift

“Even when Lottie is going through so much, fighting for her life and feeling horrendous all the time, Spread a Smile brings a smile to her face. And that’s all you want for any child. They bring such comfort and joy and have held Lottie’s hand during the most difficult time of her life.” Lottie’s Dad, Jason

Donate Now and help spread the magic of Christmas to children and young people when they need it most. Thank you.

A special thank you to Lottie and her family for sharing their journey with us.

Newham Hospital Partnership Launch

Newham Hospital partnership

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Spread a Smile today announces its newest partner, Newham Hospital, an NHS Hospital in Plaistow, Newham in London.

Children and their relatives are now invited to the Spread a Smile family and the partnership will allow smiles to be spread widely to children across the hospital, with monthly in person visits to its Oncology Clinics and its wards where we will visit both inpatients and outpatients.

In addition, the Spread a Smile team will also offer Newham Hospital patients access to their virtual visits and treat drops.

Newham Hospital joins the Spread a Smile support roster, alongside its other major and speciality London and nationwide hospital partners, taking the total to 27 partners.

Spread a Smile’s mission is to bring joy and laughter to all seriously ill children in NHS hospitals, clinical settings, hospices and homes across the UK and this partnership takes them one step closer. The Spread a Smile team will spend quality time with patients, as well as running virtual events and sending their entertainers to the Christmas party in December.  The virtual visits, alongside the in-person sessions allow the team to see as many patients as possible. All with the aim of spreading hundreds of smiles at the hospital every single year.

As well as the in-person visits, children at Newham Hospital will be invited to join weekly virtual group hospital visits from entertainers, take part in themed activity days that include key calendar events such as the Christmas Grotto in December. Families of long-term patients will also be able to book one-on-one sessions with Spread a Smile’s wonderful entertainers.

Hamera Elahi, children’s play specialist at Newham Hospital’s children’s ward, said of the partnership, “All of us who work on the children’s ward at Newham Hospital are thrilled to be joining the Spread a Smile family. This partnership will allow us to provide vital entertainment and play opportunities to the children we care for, as well as providing them with lots of fun treats, which is vital to their recovery and recuperation. We’re so grateful to the Spread a Smile team and can’t wait to work with them more.” 

To find out how you can support our work and help spread more smiles, please click here.

Spread a Smile Smile Hampers 2022

Smile Hamper Delivery Day

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Smile Hamper Day 2022!

On Saturday, we headed out across London to deliver 700 personalised Smile Hampers to seriously ill children and their siblings.

Each Smile Hamper was packed full of gifts kindly donated by our wonderful supporters and hand-picked with each child in mind.

Our Spread a Smile Fairies and Entertainers personally delivered each Hamper, spreading joy and laughter to the families we support.

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated presents this year and to the amazing drivers from WC Hackney Carriage Drivers for giving up their time for the deliveries.

As one parent said: ‘”Thank you so much. We were so shocked and my son loved it all. You can see how happy he is. Thank you for everything.”

If you would like to register to find out more about our Services and how you can access them, please sign up for our Family Newsletter here.

High Atlas Mountains Morocco

Mount Toubkal Trek 2023

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This tough but incredibly rewarding challenge combines the unforgettable scenery of the High Atlas Mountains with the splendour and colour of Marrakech. You will find yourself climbing and scrambling over the huge boulders and rocks of northern Africa’s tallest peak – Jebel Toubkal, standing at a whopping 4,167m.

It is an experience not to be missed and as part of the trek, you will…

  • Experience the unforgettable mountain scenery and spectacular views
  • Tackle daunting peaks dotted with Berber villages
  • Summit Jebel Toubkal, Morocco’s highest mountain
  • Push yourself mentally and physically at high altitude
  • Get lost in the colourful souks of mystical Marrakech

High Atlas Mountains Morocco“There is nothing more inspiring than the view from the high Atlas Mountains. It can make you believe if you can do this you can do anything.”

By joining our team of intrepid explorers and fundraising for us, you’ll be helping to bring joy and laughter to seriously ill children and young people during one of the most difficult times of their lives.

To secure one of our limited places or with any queries, please email Amanda to sign up today.

 

Event date: Tuesday 16th May – Sunday 21st May 2023

Minimum fundraising: £850

Expedition costs: £1,055 (Direct to Charity Challenge our trek Partners)

What’s included? International flights to and from the UK, accomodation, drinking water and 3 meals a day included, full back up support. Full details.

An itinerary and information around what to expect can be found here.

LEGO Masterclass

LEGO Masterclass

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We’ve been sparking creative imaginations in our first joint venture with the LEGO Group!

Last week we were delighted to welcome 11 patients and their families for a LEGO Masterclass as part of the LEGO Group’s ‘Build the Change’ program.

Build the Change encourages children to express their hopes and dreams for the future through LEGO® bricks and a bit of imagination. Following our theme of ‘Playful City’, the children created their own buildings, playgrounds and hospitals showing how they would brighten and develop the spaces around them.

It was such an engaging day providing a chance to relax, have fun and create through play. Families took part in the LEGO six brick challenge and enjoyed working together. Spread a Smile’s Mr Magic was also on hand to spread even more smiles through magic!

A huge thank you to the LEGO Group for their support and time. Also to our friends Lola’s Cupcakes for donating the tasty treats and to Domino’s pizza for their support.

Please click here to find out more about our upcoming events and activities for the families we support.

Dr Alex George

Visit with Dr Alex George

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We were honoured to welcome Dr Alex George along to one of our visits to University College London Hospital last Friday, where he met patients and staff on the Oncology and general paediatric wards.

Dr Alex is an A&E and TV Doctor and a UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador within the Department of Education, known for his campaigning around mental health education.

Physical and mental health and wellbeing are both extremely important when battling and recovering from illness. Spread a Smile is dedicated to improving wellbeing and quality of life for the seriously ill children and young people we support.

Dr Alex spoke in depth with a number of patients, listening to their questions and sharing advice for managing the challenges they face.

Dr Alex George and StaffWe’re so grateful to Dr Alex for giving up his time to join us on the wards. Both patients and staff benefitted hugely from his presence and having the chance to talk, for which we can’t thank him enough.

“I loved meeting all the young people on the wards. I feel humbled by your stories. Your strength in the face of adversity is incredible. Big thanks to the team at Spread a Smile who visit the children and bring a moment of joy, even amongst the worry and sadness.” Dr Alex George