At just 21 months old, Amber was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer. On her first day at the Royal London Hospital, Spread a Smile was visiting children on the wards with one of the charity’s therapy dogs. On what was an incredibly daunting day, the impact of meeting our team helped to distract and relax Amber during this first visit to the hospital.
Since then, Spread a Smile has supported Amber and her family throughout all her treatments at the Royal London and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
For Amber’s parents, Pippa and Glenn, seeing their daughter enjoy rare moments of fun by partaking in play and interactive entertainment is uplifting and helps them support Amber through her healthcare journey.Pippa explains, “Amber loves singing with your entertainers – especially your musician, Sar. For us all to sing along together and be happy, even in such difficult circumstances, is such a release. We love to see her smiling and reclaiming her childhood. Spread a Smile is so valuable for parents as well as for children.”
When the pandemic began, Amber still had to go into GOSH for frequent treatment for her eye. As playrooms were closed and visitors prohibited during lockdown, not having Spread a Smile around felt like a massive void for all the family. However, Spread a Smile’s digital services including virtual entertainer visits and our Smile TV, full of pre-recorded entertainer videos, provided a valuable break to the monotony of the hospital environment. After every procedure Amber would have to lie still for four hours, so having access to Spread a Smile’s online services was an amazing distraction from her discomfort.
“When we heard that Spread a Smile would also record a personalised video message, just for Amber, we jumped at the chance. We’ve watched the video so many times. Amber has also joined group virtual visits with entertainers and other children and she’s really benefitted from the peer support. In her world, she’s the only person she knows who goes to hospital and they help her feel a bit more ‘normal’. For everything that Amber has been through, Spread a Smile is a happy part of hospital and such a positive memory.”
Please help ensure we can continue to support children like Amber and their families by donating today. Thank you.