0:00:10 > 0:00:12Having a seriously ill child
0:00:12 > 0:00:14is probably one of the biggest worries
0:00:14 > 0:00:16you can ever have as a parent.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23She deteriorated very quickly. She nearly died.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27You don't know what this life is
0:00:27 > 0:00:29until you've been through it yourself.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Every day is a blessing, what we've got with her.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38So many tiny babies fighting for their life,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42and then Flynn joined them in his fight for his life.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Sometimes, very sick children
0:00:48 > 0:00:51have to be transferred to specialist hospitals,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55which are often hundreds of miles from where they live.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58And at this difficult time, members of the family end up sleeping
0:00:58 > 0:01:01in the hospital or running up hotel bills
0:01:01 > 0:01:03which they simply cannot afford.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09This is why the charity The Sick Children's Trust
0:01:09 > 0:01:13supports families during this traumatic period.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Zariah was diagnosed with a heart defect
0:01:16 > 0:01:18when she was just six months old.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Started back in Glasgow.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23She was going to a routine appointment.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25She was breathing a bit heavily.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28And they noticed that her heart was very dilated,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31so they diagnosed her with a heart condition,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35and her outcome is a heart transplant.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39When you were travelling back and forwards from home in Glasgow
0:01:39 > 0:01:41to the hospital, how long did that take?
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Hour and a half on public transport.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47And taxis was too much money,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50costs over 30-odd pound to go from my house to the hospital.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53And to do that twice a day, every day,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55I couldn't afford it, I really couldn't.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58And how did you manage for the first month or so
0:01:58 > 0:02:01when you had Zariah in the hospital up there?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04A lot of the nights, I was sleeping in the hospital,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07but some nights, they said that I wasn't able to,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11because I was just stopping in the waiting room.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14And the one night I did go home, the next morning,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17that was when she, um...nearly died.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23I don't talk about all of this, you know?
0:02:23 > 0:02:27It's hard sometimes going through everything.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Of course it is. Of course it is.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37When I was nine years old,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40I had my tonsils taken out in hospital.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44My mother got the time wrong when she was supposed to collect me,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46so I was left there all alone.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48I still remember that fear,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51worrying that she was never going to come back for me.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55I don't want any seriously ill child
0:02:55 > 0:02:57to ever go through fear like that.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Which is why, for the last 30 years,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I have supported The Sick Children's Trust.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08They offer essential, free accommodation
0:03:08 > 0:03:11as well as emotional and practical support
0:03:11 > 0:03:13to families with very sick children,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17located at specialist paediatric hospitals.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Providing a place to stay means families can focus
0:03:20 > 0:03:22on getting their child better
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and not stress about how to fund their hospital stay.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29The Sick Children's Trust has ten home-from-homes around the country.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31These children can be ill for quite a long time.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35The family basically have to sort of move their life here.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Each of our home-from-homes is located very near to the hospital.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41They can also rest, peacefully,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44knowing that if there are any problems with the child,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46the nurses can get in touch with them straightaway.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Zara and Nathan moved into Scott House in Newcastle
0:03:51 > 0:03:54in April last year when their daughter, Darcy,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56was treated for a serious heart condition.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Has it helped that you...?
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Oh, it's phenomenal being here.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04At least this is on the doorstep,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06whereas, obviously, being back in Middlesbrough,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- we've got to travel a good hour each time.- We can be here with her
0:04:09 > 0:04:11if something went wrong, we could be straight over.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Look at her, wide awake!
0:04:13 > 0:04:15MICHAEL GASPS Oh!
0:04:16 > 0:04:18We often have parents who can stay in the house
0:04:18 > 0:04:22while they're training on the ward to look after their sick child,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24but also the children themselves can come over,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and so the parents can have a bit of a trial run
0:04:27 > 0:04:30of looking after that child before they go home.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36£30 will support a family for one night in a home-from-home
0:04:36 > 0:04:38near to their sick child.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40And that isn't just parents.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Brothers, sisters and grandparents, too.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Which gives such comfort to everyone.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52My brother Flynn was born premature.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55He's 19 months old.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57He needs oxygen.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Helen was 25 weeks pregnant when she went into labour,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08I was worried about where I was going to stay after I'd delivered,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11and I was worried about being so far away from home.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15After two weeks in hospital, Helen gave birth to a baby boy.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Flynn was diagnosed in the first 24 hours
0:05:17 > 0:05:20with something called chronic lung disease.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21And that affects his lungs.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25They are just not mature enough to take oxygen out of the air.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Helen was given a room at Chestnut House, which is a home-from-home
0:05:29 > 0:05:32that is situated inside the hospital.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35To live at home and be an hour away,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39when you've got to produce milk, express it, give it into them
0:05:39 > 0:05:42on top of the stress of going backwards and forwards,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45it is just not feasible. We would have got into a lot of debt
0:05:45 > 0:05:47if I'd had to go in a hotel.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Because you are just not worrying about money, you're worrying about
0:05:50 > 0:05:53whether your child is going to get through the next day.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56And Flynn's brother was also able to stay with him.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00My son, who was seven at the time,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02he came to visit at weekends.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04It meant that I could see him,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06see how he was getting on,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09In total, was away from home for six months.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12It was such a benefit, for him,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14and for him to meet his brother, as well.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18When I first saw him,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20when I touched his hand,
0:06:20 > 0:06:21it felt so soft.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24And it was very small.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Staff at the home-from-homes are the focal point for families
0:06:31 > 0:06:34returning back from the hospital.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37They offer support when families might still be digesting
0:06:37 > 0:06:39what is happening to their child.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42This emotional support can be invaluable.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Abi, she was a real support to us
0:06:45 > 0:06:47when Dan couldn't be with us.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I could go and have a cup of tea and a chat with her
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and the other parents within the house.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53Made some long-life friends
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and that made all the difference.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Last year, the charity helped around 4,000 families.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03And all of the homes-from-home are run
0:07:03 > 0:07:07entirely on voluntary donations, with no government money.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11How is Zariah doing now, Leanda?
0:07:11 > 0:07:15She has had a lot of up and downs, but, right now, she is stable.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18So, that's all I can ask for right now.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20The last thing you want, as a parent,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24is to worry about money, trying to find somewhere
0:07:24 > 0:07:27to put your head down close to your child when they're so sick.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And the home-from-home gives them that opportunity
0:07:31 > 0:07:33to be right next to them.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Put yourself in their shoes for a moment, and imagine the pain
0:07:36 > 0:07:40of being separated from your critically ill child,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45and just think what a help being in a home-from-home would be to you.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Having a child who is sick is such an enormous worry
0:07:48 > 0:07:51to parents, and for the whole family.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53But, with your generosity,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56it will be one less thing for them to worry about.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59So, please, do give what you can.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06To give by phone, call...
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Texts cost £10 plus your standard network message charge
0:08:20 > 0:08:24and the whole £10 goes to The Sick Children's Trust.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28For full terms and conditions, or to make a donation online,
0:08:28 > 0:08:34visit the Lifeline website.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Or if you'd would like to post a donation,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40please make your cheque payable to The Sick Children's Trust,
0:08:40 > 0:08:45and send it to...
0:08:45 > 0:08:49..writing "The Sick Children's Trust" on the back of the envelope.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Thank you.