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Hope House
When a parent is told their child will not live to be an adult it is the start of an agonising journey. A childhood terminal illness challenges every belief, emotion and dream a parent may have for their special son or daughter.
Hope House Children’s Hospices – Hope House in Oswestry and Ty Gobaith in Conwy – provide practical and emotional support to families facing the pain of losing their precious child.
It costs £3.5 million a year to run both hospices which rely almost entirely upon donations.
Hope House was named after a child, Hope Peachey, who died aged eight months. We opened May 1995 and more than 250 terminally ill children and their families have been cared for here. Hope House was purpose built to cater for the special needs and requirements of our children who visit from Shropshire, Cheshire, Wrexham area and Powys.
"It is a real home from home, somewhere to go when things get tough"
Parent
Our service is free of charge to all our families - no matter what their circumstances. In fact, Hope House never closes. We are here 24 hours a day, all year round, to help whenever we are needed. Demand for our service is such that we also have Ty Gobaith, our hospice in Conwy, North Wales.
A Family Story
Read one family’s moving story and tribute to Hope House, featured in Woman magazine
(please click on the image below to read)
Thank you for making Chris’s last years so happy
Dear David,
I don’t know how my husband Mike and I would have got through the past few years without you. When we first took our son Chris to Hope House Children’s Hospice he was very ill. We were worried he’d feel isolated or scared, but you took away our fears the minute you introduced yourself. ‘I’m David,’ you smiled at Chris, ‘and I’ll be here for anything you need, mate.’ We knew instantly you were someone we could trust.
Over the next four years you gained a special place in our hearts. And we will always be grateful…
Mike and I had been married for four years when I found out I was pregnant with Chris. We were thrilled when our baby was born.
For the first few years Chris was like any other little boy. He loved toy cars and taking things apart. But one day, when he was four, one of the teachers at his school noticed he was walking on his tiptoes. He was referred to a doctor for blood tests. ‘It’s bad news,’ the doctor told us. ‘Chris has a genetic condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.’
‘What’s that,’ I gasped holding Mike’s hand tightly.
‘It’s a muscle-wasting condition she replied. ‘It often starts in the legs and then affects the arms and trunk. He’ll probably be in a wheelchair by his teens.’
‘Is there a cure,’ I asked as tears filled my eyes.
‘I’m afraid not,’ the doctor said. ‘The condition will affect his heart as well so it’s unlikely he’ll live past his 20s. I’m very sorry.’
That night Mike and I held each other and cried. It was hard to imagine that in only a few years’ our lively little boy wouldn’t be able to walk, let alone run.
