Support Children Battling Brain Tumours!

Everyone dislikes the thought of the words ‘brain tumour’ or ‘childhood cancer’. Not all childhood cancers are terminal but through many clinical trials, research has shown that 10 children are diagnosed with cancer weekly. Brain tumours are one of the biggest childhood cancer killers to this day and it is responsible for 1 in 5 child cancer deaths in the UK.

This was Daniella's story (in photo). Our beautiful daughter was diagnosed in 2015. She was fit and healthy, and her first symptom began only as a minor eye complaint. Unfortunately, she remained undiagnosed for some time as nothing seemed to be physically wrong with her. However, her eyes worsened in just a matter of weeks before she was referred to the local children's A&E. An incidental MRI scan revealed a growth in her brain, and the medical anxiety began. Nothing could have prepared us for what was to come. Receiving the news of a brain tumour diagnosis in your child is one of the most impossible situations any family can ever experience. It felt like our world crashed all at once. We were devastated, and our lives changed permanently. Dannie was suddenly overwhelmed with hospital appointments, biopsies, MRI scans and various clinics! The colour faded, the music stopped, and family life as we knew it ended. It all happened so fast; sadly, Dannie passed away after a few short months.

This might be Dannie's outcome, but it doesn't have to be the same for the others in her shoes. Today, the Daniella Logun Foundation (DLF) exists to offer holistic wellbeing (emotional, practical and spiritual) support to children diagnosed with cancer and their families/primary carers within Hillingdon and the surrounding areas. We are active in providing a service that enables families to have a positive palliative care journey, whether they are back in the community or at End-of-Life.

There is no exclusive children's cancer charity that offers holistic wellbeing support in the Hillingdon regional area. We are a small team and are working hard on providing a solution to provide one-to-one holistic support to our children and their families. With our lived experience and the support of our partners, your donation will make a difference.

The experience we had is not rare. Like us, 98% of our families have experienced the heartbreak of a brain tumour, as it is not like other cancers. Most children experience permanent disabilities early on to being diagnosed. For example, they some quickly lose their mobility, speech, language, sight, hearing, and many more. Some children even face all these issues, along with developing Special Educational Needs (SEND), learning disabilities or behavioural difficulties. 100% of the families we have helped grieve tell us they have been thrown into the centre of a fast-paced rollercoaster brain tumour care environment and feel they have little-to-no time to react and take in what has just been brought into the light. Leaving them stunned without a thought of what to do next. This diagnosis impacts everyone connected to the child. The family are left grieving, siblings can even become withdrawn from the family, trying to find peace in the matter, while close friends or relatives feel there is nothing, they can do to make it better. Leaving them disconnected and redundant. Their social relationships begin to grow distant when they are needed the most. After many years, the bereaved parents still grieve the memories of their experience, watching their child change Infront of them post diagnosis, then watching the once happy story be taken from them in such a horrid way.

You can help us do more to ensure that no other child or family struggles in isolation. Your donation will help us reach more Children & Young People diagnosed with cancer and their families in the following ways:

Deliver Dannie's Gift Boxes: to provide our free fresh food (fruit & vegetable) boxes to support the nutritional wellbeing of our children and their families; introductory wellbeing support boxes to provide information and inform our new children and their families on accessible support services and resources; and brand-new toys at Christmas to add a little cheer to our children, their siblings and families at Christmas time when feelings of anxiety, isolation or grief seem more difficult.

Cherry Blossom Bereavement Support Service – to offer welfare support gifts, flowers and food hampers to support our special families who have lost children to brain tumours and other cancers.

Regular phone calls, home visits and coffee afternoons: to provide 1:1 and group wellbeing support to offer friendship and befriend our parent carers and their children with cancer.

Please think about this before you go:

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of wellbeing support during a health crisis. Children & Young People diagnosed with brain tumours, other cancers and their families experience more feelings of isolation, financial and emotional distress, social anxiety and a palpable feeling of fear uncertainty. Children from BAME, faith, migrant & other protected communities are disproportionately impacted. You can help us reach more children with better wellbeing support at their fingertips to reduce the pressure on their family life and include them in our community.

Please click the 'Donate' button to help us reach more Children & Young People diagnosed with cancer and their families today.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION.

The Daniella Logun Foundation (DLF)