A BABY from Reading is one of the faces of a festive appeal from a charity that supports families caring for a life-threatened or terminally ill child.
Antonio is supported by the Reading Care Team from Rainbow Trust.
Born in September last year, he has Down’s syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), a type of blood cancer.
His mother Wahyuni is a single parent with no family, friends or social network in England and, eventually, it became impossible for her to work so she had to give up her job to be by Antonio’s side, living at the hospital for six weeks.
She said she felt so lonely without having anyone to support her until Rainbow Trust stepped in.
“I didn’t really talk to anyone because it was just Antonio and me in the room,” she said.
“I couldn’t talk to Antonio, he was too little and wouldn’t understand. I felt very sad during the hospital stay but put on a brave face.
“I didn’t want to show that to my son, I wanted to shield him, so I tried to keep myself happy all the time.”
The charity’s support worker Tanya helped alleviate the isolation and loneliness that gripped Wahyuni and helped her regain a sense of normality among the sterile and lonely medical setting in which she was living, visiting regularly, and giving Wahyuni a break to grab a cup of tea, to take a short walk, or a period of much-needed respite.
“We talked about different things, not just about Antonio. Sometimes, when you are dealing with illness you don’t want to talk about it all of the time because it is so sad,” Wahyuni said.
She is supporting the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity’s Christmas Appeal – No Family Alone – to help raise funds and awareness.
Donors can make monthly or one-off donations, and the charity says just £5 can make all the difference as it supports families.
Sammii, the Rainbow Trust family support worker for Reading says a typical week can be very busy.
“Referrals are increasing and our caseload is growing, which shows how much our support is needed.
“The job of a Family Support Worker is very rewarding. Families trust us to support them with the difficulties and challenges encompassed with having a seriously ill child, I feel this is such a privilege.”
To support Rainbow Trust’s fundraising appeal and make a donation visit rainbowtrust.org.uk/christmasor call 01372 220083.
