Jessica

Jessica was born with a life-limiting neurological disorder that affected her mental and movement abilities.

Her parents, Vicky and Keith, were told by doctors that she might not live past her toddler years and so they devoted themselves to providing her with the highest quality of life and making sure Jessica had the chance to live her life to the full.

Support from Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service helped Jessica and her family help in making the most of the time they had together, making happy and precious memories that they would always treasure.

Jessica’s mum, Vicky, reflected on the joy and independence Alexander Devine gave her daughter during her visits to the hospice.

“Respite visits to Alexander Devine gave Jessica an opportunity to be independent and have fun in a safe and caring environment.

She was able to spend quality time with other children, doing crafts, baking and music therapy. The hydro pool is amazing and as a family we loved spending time together in the pool with dedicated nurses on hand to offer support as required.”

Jessica was eight years old when she sadly passed away. Her family continues to be supported by the hospice, especially her younger brother James who loves spending time with other siblings who understand what he is going through.

“Losing Jessica has left a huge void in our lives and all we have now are the treasured memories of time we spent together as a family. Some of our most special memories are of our time at Alexander Devine Hospice, swimming, walking in the sensory garden and having picnics in the play park. 

James, Jessica’s little brother, is now supported by the hospice through their Sibling Club, an engaging and nurturing space for him to enjoy a huge range of fun activities with other children who have poorly or deceased siblings. This is a safe place where he can talk about Jessica with other children and adults who understand what he is going through.”

 

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Please help us be there

The specialist care and support we provide to families like Jessica’s is free of charge but it currently costs our charity over £2.8million each year just to maintain our current level of care.

Our charity receives minimal statutory funding and is nearly entirely reliant on donations, fundraising and gifts in Wills to fund our vital service. In fact, 50 minutes of every hour of specialist care and support we provide to each child and their family is funded by the kindness and generosity of our supporters.

Help us continue to be there for families like these and reach out to even more that need us: www.alexanderdevine.org/give

Need our help?

The word hospice should not seem scary and getting support from us doesn’t have to mean a child’s death is imminent. Helping to enrich the lives of the children and their families is at the heart of our service, our end of life and bereavement support is just a part of what we do.

Our children’s hospice service covers the whole of Berkshire and into surrounding counties. If you think your child may be eligible for our services, please do get in touch.

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One of the greatest and most precious gifts our charity receives is time 💙💛We are fortunate to have 155 amazing volunteers who collectively donate around 2,000 hours of their time each year. Without their vital support, we would not be there for children and families that need us. This #VolunteersWeek we will be celebrating what inspires our volunteers to make their unique contributions to our charity, whether at the hospice or out in the community. If our volunteers inspire you to gift your time, you can learn more about volunteering with our charity here: www.alexanderdevine.org/volunteer#InspiringVolunteers #localcharity ... See MoreSee Less
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It was lovely to welcome Jon Davey, Community Champion from Tesco in Dedworth Road Windsor, to our children’s hospice last week with a very generous donation of books for our next children’s book sale. We are so grateful for the ongoing support that Jon and his team give to Alexander Devine. Their kindness makes such a difference to our charity 💙💛Tesco #CommunityChampion ... See MoreSee Less
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With 3 weeks until #ChildrensHospiceWeek, will you help us #RockTheBlue?!🙋‍♀️ Sign up to receive your #RockTheBlue fundraising pack💡 Plan your blue themed activity or challenge💙 Raise money and make a difference to local children with life- limiting and life-threatening conditions 👉 Visit www.alexanderdevine.org/rocktheblue or email our friendly fundraising team for help with your BLUE-ming brilliant ideas: fundraising@alexanderdevine.org #fundraisingfun #localcharity #childrenshospiceservice ... See MoreSee Less
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Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service is the operating name of Alexander Devine Children’s Cancer Trust. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 5757493

Copyright © 2019 Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service. UK Registered Charity No. 1118947.