Stories from children and families

My daughter arrived on the ward today very teary eyed and nervous, with her little head full of memories of needles, pain and illness. However, we arrived at the same time as the Giggle Doctors! Within a minute they had completely captured her attention and put her totally at ease. She completely forgot where she was and thoroughly enjoyed her time with them both, as did I! Thank you so much for everything you did for Ava-Grace today, you made a huge difference in a little girls world and made the hospital a much brighter place to be

Dr Teapot and Dr Boogie Woogie visited clinic yesterday. They absolutely made Leo’s day – his face lit up when he saw Dr Teapot in the waiting room. Leo first met Dr Teapot when he was newly diagnosed and he still laughs and talks about him so seeing him yesterday really did brighten up his day. Thank you so much for spending time with the Leo, it makes such a difference. What you do/provide is truly magical.

A massive thank you to Dr Hip Hap and Dr Flowerpot both who visited Byron on the verge of a melt down because he was very scared about being in hospital again. Both Mum and Dad weren’t far from tears also, knowing he would rather be doing what little boys do best. A few minutes after saying hi we were all laughing and having a wonderful time, and Byron now thinks hospitals are great fun. Laughter really is the best medicine. Thank you Dr Hip Hap, you have worked wonders

Two days after surgery, the Giggle Doctors arrived on the ward for their weekly visit.  I was concerned – I could hear them coming with lots of noise and laughter and I felt that my daughter was not strong enough to cope with this. However, they were calm and gentle, immediately modifying their performance to meet the needs of the individual child.  My daughter smiled (she couldn’t laugh, physically, at this stage) and we all immediately felt better.  The beneficial effects of play for a sick child have been researched and documented, but until you have had your own child sick I don’t think anyone can fully appreciate just how important those benefits are