As most of you know, the aim of the Daniel Delicata Memorial Association is to “Improve the Quality of Life of Sick Children in Hospitals”.

For this reason, we are asking you to pass on any mobile phones that you are not using. A minimum of 50 pence for each mobile will be forwarded to the Sick Children’s Trust (see below)

Although this Trust is based in the UK, many Maltese families make use of the houses that are funded by this Trust. I know from first hand experience when I spent five months at a stretch in London with our beloved son Daniel and consecutive weeks in later years when we had to go for further interventions and tests. Believe me, it is like manna from Heaven when you realise that you do not have to fork out hundreds of Liri (now Euros) to pay for accommodation while you are accompanying your child.

Thanks to the accommodation offered by these Trust Houses, a family can stay together, so when my husband used to visit Daniel and me, we could always stay together in the same apartment, rather than separately – him in a hotel and I in a room on the hospital grounds that was shared by another four women and with communal bathroom facilities. These houses also cater for more than the parents so those visiting with their other children can stay together in a bigger apartment. These apartments are kept in tip-top condition and offer a refuge at the end of an exhausting and stressful day of check-ups, tests, and maybe some sad news.

Anyone who has experienced such a trauma knows how difficult these separations from family and friends are. There is also the apprehension and tension that accompanies a serious illness and in the long run (if not before) this will reflect on the marriage of the parents. I, for one, am not ashamed to say that after losing our son, I fell in a reactive depression but this was not just due to the passing on of Daniel, but also because of what I had to endure during his five years of life. When a child becomes seriously ill, the life of his family, especially that of his parents, changes overnight.

So, dear friends and acquaintances, who always tell me “Whenever you need help, Maria let me know” – I am asking you to do this for me and for all the sick Maltese children and their families who go for medical treatment in the UK. Pass on your old mobile phones, and help a sick child.

More information can be obtained from www.sickchildrenstrust.org.

Maria Delicata can be contacted on 7940-8346 or 2157-9145

For more information about the Daniel Delicata Memorial Association go to

www.danieldelicata.org.

What is The Sick Children’s Trust – UK?

The SCT’s vision is that children should never have to be separated from their families while in hospital receiving treatment for serious illnesses.

Their mission is to provide high quality “Home from Home” accommodation for families whose children are receiving hospital treatment for serious illness.

The Sick Children’s Trust exists to support and promote the child’s recovery and further to support the fabric and well being of the family as a whole. In carrying out this mission it will ensure that the highest standards of service are applied throughout.

HOW DID IT START?

The Sick Children’s Trust was founded in 1982 by two paediatric specialists Dr Jon Pritchard and Professor James Malpas. They believed that having parents on hand during hospital treatment benefited a child’s recovery.

Rainbow House, their first Home from Home, opened its doors to families with children undergoing treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1984.

Today there are seven Homes from Home at major hospitals around the country, each providing clean comfortable accommodation for families with seriously ill children.

There is a growing demand for these “Home from Home” as children must increasingly travel long distances to get the specialist treatment they need. To date The Sick Children’s Trust has helped more than 30,000 families.

To run “Homes from Home”, the Trust relies entirely on voluntary donations and they need to raise at least £800,000 every year to keep them open. So please do get involved and help them make a real difference to the lives of the families they support support.

The President of The Sick Children’s Trust is Michael Crawford OBE who has provided tremendous support for over 20 years. Michael became President in March 1987 and has become a great friend. One of the “Homes from Home”, Crawford House in Newcastle, is named in his honour.

Michael says: “It has been a huge honour to play a part in the growth of The Sick Children’s Trust.

“The energy which the charity injects into new projects is remarkable.

“They never cease to look for new ways in which they can support families and help keep them together at such vulnerable times. When a child faces a life-threatening illness it is essential to their recovery that they are surrounded by their whole family.”

The Chairman is Stephen Catlin. Stephen has been involved for several years and is not only personally involved; his company, Catlin Underwriting, is now one of the Trust’s most loyal corporate supporters.

Stephen says: “As well as keeping families together, our Homes help alleviate the emotional and financial strains of being away from home for long periods of time.

“Our seven ‘Homes from Home’ can help up to 3,900 families every year.”

Maria Delicata is Co-founder daniela delicata memorial association