Supporting Terminally Ill Children

I always think it is good when our supporters can hear from families that we support, so here are a few words from David Bara.

I’m a dad and my little girl Adi, pictured above, has cancer. Sharing my story with you today is my way of publicly thanking Rainbow Trust for all their support and to show how vital your donations are in helping dads like me cope.

Adi is only two years old but is very aware that something strange is happening to her body. Her brain tumour was aggressive and, even though all but a tiny piece had been removed, they could still only give her a 35-50 percent chance of surviving the next five years.

The nights apart are horrendous
My wife spent every night with Adi whilst she was in hospital and I was at home trying to keep a sense of normality for our son Asher. Searching to find soothing answers to his questions about where his mummy and sister had gone.

Struggling to cope with Adi’s cancer
The hospital appointments, operations, tests and waiting become your reality, your every day life. It is exhausting but I must make Adi as happy as possible so she is in the best psychological state to fight the cancer. Sometimes I am so tired it is a strain to keep smiling. Alison, our Family Support Worker helps with this a lot. She spends fun hours with Adi; they paint, read stories together and laugh a lot. She is there when we need her.

How you can make a difference
In all honesty, I have no idea what the year ahead will bring. It will be challenging, tiring and so much more. Thanks to Rainbow Trust we have a great team behind us no matter what. Rainbow Trust relies almost entirely on the generosity of voluntary donations from individuals like you to make sure that the service families like mine receive is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. I am overwhelmed by the professional care we have received. Rainbow Trust need to raise £10,000 to provide 500 hours of support for families at the hospital, at home and to worried siblings. Please help my family to say thank you and support other families in need.

David Bara