How You Can Help?

As always we are overwhelmed with your words of encouragement and offers of assistance. It is so very much appreciated and we are truly amazed at the generosity and strength of the human spirit when faced with adversity.

As we know the journey ahead will be difficult and we all need to be as strong as we can for our ever enduring Edward, not to mention each other.

I understand you are so very keen to help in whatever capacity you can, but some of you are unsure as to the most useful way assist. So excuse my boldness but to conserve my energy I have taken the liberty of putting together some initial ideas of ways you may like to help if you are wondering. You know me, never afraid to speak my mind. Watch out I may well put together a coloured excel sheet with corresponding roster but currently lacking energy for that.

Cook A Meal
Any edible, family friendly offerings would be greatly appreciated mince based great, but other meats also warmly welcomed.
It would be really useful if it can be frozen and divided into single serves- one for home, one for the hospital shift.
At the moment our freezer is bursting but will keep you posted via the Gourmet Gauge when it starts to run low.

Home Maintenance
We have a cleaner and our friendly neighbours do the bins. Howie and Sue have offered to mow the lawns and keep an eye on the garden from time to time but will let you know if we need any help on that front. I’m sensing a big working bee in the garden might be brewing in time for spring.

Contact
Please feel free to call, email or text any time, if we cant talk we won’t. Don’t be offended if we don’t get back to you straight away but after a long day at the hospital there’s nothing nicer than a message from our family and friends.

You are also welcome to visit anytime, it breaks up the day and is a great distraction for both us and little Ed. Perhaps text before you come to see how his health is and what procedures if any are planned for that day.

We are very interested to know what’s going on in your world, it’s just as important and a welcome relief from what’s going on in ours.

Entertaining our Ed
Ed has become a much better TV watcher than when he was first diagnosed with Peppa Pig and Nursery Rhymes by far the standout favourite. He also loves looking at photos and videos of family and friends, songs are his favourite and his selection currently limited.

Babysit
Tom is not as portable as he used to be but we are managing with the crèche at the hospital that I can leave him for a few hours to get a break and family day care. But it’s Isabel that we need help. Given she’s just started school and absolutely exhausted I’m trying to minimise the amount of disruption through the school week by getting grandparents ( or anybody who is able to take her straight home) to do the school pickup Mon-Thurs but would welcome any offers of help over the weekend. There’s only so much hospital a little 5yr old needs to see.

Down the track when Ed’s out of hospital and his health a little better we would certainly welcome a babysitter every now and then once the kids are in bed so Pete and I may get the chance to get out and eat a meal together.

Donate Blood
Little Ed is having many blood transfusions at the moment so I’m sure every drop would help him and other Cancer Kids. Who knows you’re donation may just make it into our Little Ed.
http://www.redcross.org.au/blood-service.aspx

There is also the possibility he may need a Bone Marrow Transplant so you could also register your Bone Marrow with the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry if you were keen.
http://www.abmdr.org.au/dynamic_menus.php?id=1&menuid=2…1

Donate to a cancer kids charity of your choice. The bigs ones who have helped us here at Westmead are Cure Our Kids, The Red Kite and more recently Camp Quality.
There is also the kids cancer research institutes of which there are many.

As always we are appreciative of your love and support and thank-you so much for your time, kindness and generosity.