JIGSAW Children’s Hospice will be celebrating national Children’s Hospice Week 2022 with hospices across the UK to highlight the incredible care and support offered.
Children’s Hospice Week, led by children’s palliative care charity Together for Short Lives, runs from today (June 20) and celebrates the incredible work children’s hospices do for seriously ill children and their families.
The only children’s hospice in Cumbria which is based in Carlisle cares for babies, children and young people from all corners of Cumbria, Jigsaw is the only such facility in the county and relies predominantly on the generosity of the local community to keep providing this vital service.
The charity must raise £2,126.46 to pay for its care services for one whole day.
This year’s Children’s Hospice Week theme is #ForTheChildren, which highlights the core purpose of children’s hospices. Everything they do is #ForTheChildren – helping families make the most of their lives together, no matter how short.
Seven-year-old Max Dickinson from Carlisle is currently supported by Jigsaw and has been receiving care since he was four years old. Max has a genetic duplication called 5p13 duplication syndrome which was discovered after he started showing seizures when he was a baby.
His mum Gillian said that 'Jigsaw has been a lifeline' for the family.
"We never worry about Max when he's at Jigsaw as they know him so well and take care of him which is a big weight of our mind.
"Max loves the attention from all the staff, spending time in the sensory room and going to the park, he loves baking but mostly the eating of the baking goods,” she said.
Suzanne Garbarino, clinical Llead at Jigsaw, said: "Jigsaw is an incredibly special place filled with fun and laughter where children and young adults can stay and create memories which will last a lifetime. It’s a pleasure to care for the amazing children who are part of Jigsaw and support their wider network of family and carers.
"We’d like to use Children’s Hospice Week to thank everyone who supports Jigsaw throughout the year with fundraising, volunteering and the other very generous ways in which our community helps," she said.
To support Jigsaw, visit jigsawhospice.org
READ MORE: Family donates £1,000 to Cumberland Infirmary following compassionate care
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