Children’s cancer charity Candlelighters hosted a weekend of fun and respite at Lineham Farm for 34 children whose siblings face a cancer diagnosis.
Around 150 children in Yorkshire are diagnosed with cancer every year. A childhood cancer diagnosis devastates the entire family. It can be especially difficult for siblings to process the emotional difficulty that a cancer diagnosis causes, as well as being apart from their brother or sister and parents, as they need to focus on a sick child in hospital.
Children’s cancer charity Candlelighters recognises this impact on siblings. They provide therapy-based sibling groups throughout the year and host an annual sibling residential trip, to help children escape the harsh realities of childhood cancer and enjoy a weekend of fun.
This year’s sibling residential took place at Lineham Farm near Leeds. The weekend included fun activities for the children, including archery, low ropes, bushcraft, and exploring the grounds. They met the animals including guinea pigs and fed sheep as well as playing lots of games with friends made at the Candlelighters groups.
Natalie Kisby, Head of Family Support at Candlelighters told us “It’s important that siblings can enjoy the company of other children with a shared understanding of the difficulties of childhood cancer. The Candlelighters sibling residentials offer the opportunity for children to make wonderful new memories whilst making friends and finding companionship in each other.”
Two of the attendees this year were brothers William and Sonny Welsh from Skipton. Sadly, their brother Rory died in 2016 at just 18 months old, after he was diagnosed with leukaemia. Their mum Laura told us that Candlelighters have supported their family since Rory was diagnosed and following his death.
The family attend bereavement support groups for parents, siblings and grandparents. Rory’s brother, William, who was three years old when his younger sibling died, attends the Candlelighters Bereaved Sibling group, which has provided him with friendships that have shared his experience of childhood cancer.
Laura told us “As William has grown up and got a better understanding of what happened to Rory, he has had questions and anxieties, which the Candlelighters team have been able to help him with through these groups. We have since had another son, Sonny, and from the age of five, he has also been able to attend the Bereaved Sibling group. This has helped him understand what happened to our family before he was born.”
William and Sonny both attended the recent Candlelighters Super Sibling residential trip. “This is the highlight of the year for William, and Sonny was very excited to be able to join him this time. The residential trip is for all siblings of children with cancer, whether they are going through treatment, have completed treatment, or are bereaved. Understandably, when you are in a family with a poorly child, they tend to take up a lot of time and attention, even after they have completed treatment. When you suffer a bereavement, the lost child continues to be a major part of the family and the sadness and grief caused by their loss affects your home life forever. The sibling trip allows the children to get away from that, and have a fun-filled weekend where they are the focus.”
