Prince Harry speaks to parents of vulnerable children and charity workers in video call
'The resilience and the strength that you guys have is obviously incredible,' Duke of Sussex says
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Your support makes all the difference.The Duke of Sussex took part in a video call with children‘s charity WellChild, during which he spoke to staff at the organisation and parents of vulnerable children.
Prince Harry has been patron of WellChild for more than 10 years, a UK charity that aims to help support children and young people “with exceptional needs” so that they can be cared for at home where possible, rather than at hospital.
Over the Easter weekend, the duke checked in with several people from the charity, including CEO Colin Dyer, nurse Rachel Gregory and parents Leanne Cooper from Lincoln and Craig Hatch from Cumbria.
Prince Harry heard from Leanne about how “terrifying” the coronavirus pandemic is for her family, as her 13-year-old daughter Sophie has cerebral palsy, dystonia, scoliosis and several complex medical needs that require her to take around 45 medications a day.
“There is a lot of information out there, but not a lot for vulnerable families and certainly not for children with complex medical needs,” she said.
“If we’re in a position where carers can’t come to work because they might be symptomatic, there is no way we would survive when Sophie needs care seven nights a week, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.”
Meanwhile, Craig explained that if his son Fraser becomes infected, “the implications are quite severe”.
He outlined that his 21-year-old son has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, neuro muscular scoliosis, osteoporosis, chronic lung disorder and Type 1 diabetes, putting him at greater risk.
Prince Harry paid tribute to WellChild during the call, stating: “Full respect to every single one of you. This is hard on everyone, but it is especially hard on you.
“I know that WellChild are doing everything they can to support you.”
The duke added that he hopes their video call will help “make it more clear and obvious to government and everybody else that you are in the ‘vulnerable’ bracket and WellChild needs more help”.
“It is really nice to see you all smiling and happy. Keep going, keep the morale up, keep busy, keep being creative, dare yourself to try new hobbies and I hope to see you all again very, very soon!” he said.
During the call, nurse Gregory outlined that the children in their network “need round the clock care”.
“You can’t expect parents to do that on their own,” she stated. “They have to open their doors at this vulnerable time to external carers, which is a huge concern for them.”
CEO Dyer added that in addition to PPE (personal protective equipment) the charity also requires “basic supplies” such as food and cleaning products.
“A lot of families are finding it difficult getting themselves included on ‘vulnerable’ lists. These families are always isolated and hidden,” he said. “Now they are more isolated and more hidden than ever before.
“Getting recognition that they are among the most vulnerable people that we’ve got in this country is really tough because the focus just doesn’t seem to be on families like this.”
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