Team Caitlin’s Story
The initial idea
The idea for a charity in Caitlin’s name started in NICU, when we began to notice some gaps in the support provided to parents. As Caitlin grew older and started to be admitted to paediatric wards we found more gaps.
Team Caitlin aims to fill these gaps, and spread some of the happiness Caitlin brings to our lives.
Emergency toiletry & period bags
Often children come into hospital by ambulance in emergency situations and parents haven’t had a chance to pack a bag, or even thought about toiletries or that their period might start in a day or two. This is why we provide wards with emergency toiletry bags and period kits to give to parents in these situations.
Spa boxes
Our new spa boxes are designed for mum’s with children in hospital, who need a bit of down time but aren’t able to leave.
Each box contains: Maltesers, a LED candle, nail file & polish, Body Shop shower gel, shampoo & conditioner, a hyaluronic face mask, Body Shop lip balm, alcohol free gin & tonic, and an aromatherapy pillow spray
Parent time-out
Parents are told, and often encouraged, to take time away from the hospital but many feel guilty and judged for doing so.
This is why we offer funded time out for parents; this alleviates any financial worries and also gives them the ‘permission’ they might need to leave their child for a few hours.
Family days out
When families of children with life-limiting conditions are at home life is still tough. It can be an endless cycle of feeds, medication, ordering supplies, arranging/attending appointments and staying on top of their child’s needs.
The idea of a family day out is very far down their list of priorities, and isn’t financially viable for ma
When families of children with life-limiting conditions are at home life is still tough. It can be an endless cycle of feeds, medication, ordering supplies, arranging/attending appointments and staying on top of their child’s needs.
The idea of a family day out is very far down their list of priorities, and isn’t financially viable for many. This is why we offer funded days out for these families.
Children’s books
Children who have been chronically ill from a young age begin to develop fears of hospital because, to them, they’re places of unfamiliarity and pain.
This is why we provide age-appropriate books about hospitals to try to normalise the experience and alleviate some of their fear.
Shop & drop service
When parents are in such a dark place that they‘ve used all their energy up by just getting out of bed. When their child needs them so much that they feel terrible for going to the toilet, never mind a supermarket. When they just can’t face brushing their hair to go out in public. When they’re too scared to leave the hospital because the
When parents are in such a dark place that they‘ve used all their energy up by just getting out of bed. When their child needs them so much that they feel terrible for going to the toilet, never mind a supermarket. When they just can’t face brushing their hair to go out in public. When they’re too scared to leave the hospital because they’re not sure if your child will still be alive by the time you get back.
We’ve been there.
And if parents are currently there, we’ll gladly save them a trip to the shop.
Caitlin
Most importantly, Team Caitlin helps our family. We don’t benefit from any of the services provided by the charity, but it brings us immense happiness that we can share some of Caitlin’s happiness with other families in situations. Caitin has profound physical disabilities. We know her life has been - and will continue to be - be harder than the average child’s. We want to grow the members of her ‘Team’ so she’ll always know she’s got people beside her, doing great things in her name.