Children 's charity celebrates 10 years of helping 16,000 UK youngsters
A Midlands children 's charity which has helped to improve the lives of 16,000 youngsters is celebrating its 10th anniversary of “bringing light to a dark place. ”
Molly Ollys, based in Warwick, was founded by Rachel Ollerenshaw and her husband Tim following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare form of kidney cancer.
The Charity emotionally supports children between birth and 18 who have life-threatening illnesses. It does that through its Olly The Brave therapeutic soft toy and award-winning books, as well as donating wishes to children who are facing unimaginable challenges.
To date, more than 16,000 children have been supported all over the UK; more than 13,000 Olly books and toys have reached children at over 70 hospitals and more than £3 million has been raised.
One of the Charity 's proudest achievements has been funding a Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine at Birmingham Children 's Hospital for the past three years. After demonstrating the effectiveness of the role and significantly changing the experience for all those who have benefitted from the service, it is now being funded centrally by the NHS.
Rachel, from Hatton, said: “Molly was the reason I started the charity. When she died, I just knew I needed to help other children like her. Knowing we have made the dark days brighter for more than 16,000 young people is what drives me and the charity forwards.
“Whilst working with Birmingham Children 's Hospital on the Magnolia House project, we learnt that there was no Consultant in paediatric Palliative medicine for the area�the position just did not exist. There are only approximately 20 in the whole of the UK. We live in Warwickshire where there is one and so we knew the benefits and importance when we nursed Molly at home.
“We decided we would raise the funds and directly pay for a Palliative Consultant for Birmingham to help provide the best care for children with palliative care needs. It is fabulous to see what a real difference this role has made and is making to children 's lives. “
Dr Yifan Liang, appointed as Palliative Consultant for Birmingham, said: “Families and clinicians are often anxious about a referral to the palliative care team because so often they worry that this is just about end of life. My role is about making it possible for children to have the best life that they can, rather than necessarily about how long their life is.
“A lot of my job is about making sure that the children are comfortable; that they have their symptoms controlled; that they have access to activities and how to help them make the most of life. ”
Through the success of the palliative post for patients, the hospital has taken on another palliative consultant and now has the opportunity to become a training hospital in the future, once they secure more funding.
Magnolia House is another project that Molly Ollys supported, opening in February 2017. The Charity worked with health professionals at Birmingham Children 's Hospital to create and furnish Magnolia House at a cost of £45,000, giving the hospital a safe, non-clinical and comforting space where medical teams and families can discuss diagnosis, treatment and end-of-life care.
One child the Charity recently supported with a wish was Ella Richards from Warwickshire who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when she was 16. Ella faced a serious health battle, but after six months of chemo, she was given the all clear. Molly Ollys gifted her a £500 Bullring shopping voucher which she spent on fake eyelashes and eyebrow treatments after losing her hair, as well as a bracelet which has 10 carefully chosen charms symbolising every step of her cancer ordeal.
Mum Melanie said: “Ella had the gift voucher at the time she was at her lowest and weakest, it gave her such a boost and such a focus. To be honest she would have really struggled without it, it brought light to a dark place. ”
Ella - now 17 - said: “Molly Ollys helped me through the chaos of my diagnosis and chemotherapy, their gift gave me something to really look forward to. Thanks to the Charity I could enjoy going out shopping and forget the worries and stress of cancer and feel like a normal teenager again. ”
In 2022, Birmingham Children 's Hospital wants to train two more palliative clinicians at its centre of excellence and Molly Ollys will be focusing its efforts on raising the funding so that more palliative care teams can support more families across the UK.
Pictured: Ella Richards during treatment