Summer Appeal
When a baby’s life is short, every moment matters. That’s why our nurses are there in your local hospital, from the very beginning.
Families like Lily’s need expert care and support when every moment matters.
At Rainbows, we are committed to supporting families wherever they need us. Our specialist Rainbows nurses work in local hospitals across the East Midlands, helping families make precious memories and ensuring babies, children and young people with shorter lives receive the best possible care.
They are there from the very beginning of each family’s journey, bringing specialist palliative and end-of-life care into hospital settings, working closely alongside medical teams to support families from the moment they need us.
For families, like Lily’s, facing the devastating news that their baby may have a short life, this is an overwhelming and heartbreaking time. But because of your support, babies and their families are not facing this alone.
We support families in many different situations. Some have known since pregnancy that their baby would be born with a life-shortening condition. For others, the news comes suddenly after birth, and leaves families devastated. Some families are told their baby may only have a very short time to live, while others face the trauma of their babies undergoing major surgeries and an uncertain future.
In the darkest and most difficult days, a hospital environment can feel overwhelming. We bring our expertise into hospital teams to help improve care and support for the whole family.
Because what families remember most isn’t just the medical expertise – it’s the moments we help them create together. One of those families was Lily’s. When Lily became too poorly to go home, Rainbows helped her move from hospital to our hospice. The whole family was given precious time together and memories they will cherish forever.
Will you donate today to help us support more families across the East Midlands?
Lily’s Story
“Our baby died at just under six-weeks-old. She had Neonatal Epilepsy. In the beginning, we didn’t know her prognosis or outlook and we really wanted support for her brother Maxwell, who was three. We were staying in hospital when we first met the Rainbows Clinical Nurse Specialist and she gave that support to us. It made such a difference having someone there, in hospital, who was just for our family.
“At first, we hoped Lily might be able to go to Rainbows to prepare for a transition home and the Rainbows nurse helped us with this. Then Lily got really poorly and went to intensive care, which was terrifying. It was at this point we knew we would probably never take Lily home. We can’t put into words how that felt, but the Rainbows nurse gave us hope that we didn’t have to stay in hospital.
“We couldn’t see our family when Lily was in intensive care, but having the Rainbows nurse was like having family there. She was our constant throughout. She was an advocate for us and she always had ours, and Lily’s best interests at heart. There was so much information from doctors, which was often confusing, and we didn’t know the next steps. She would make sense of it all and explain things to us in a way we understood.
“Lily went from hospital to Rainbows when she was five and a half weeks-old for end-of-life care. She died 24 hours later and stayed in the hospice’s bereavement suite.
“We got to enjoy the most normal things. Lily had never been outside and the most special memory for us was being able to take her into the Rainbows gardens and enjoy the sun. No beeping of machines; no watching numbers on a screen. We could simply concentrate on just being there as a family.” – Viki and Luke, Lily’s Mummy and Daddy.
This summer, your support can help more families like Lily’s to receive expert care when they need it most, allowing them to make every moment count together for as long as possible.
£10
£25
