Now that Waterfall House is finished, the lead nurse on the teenage unit, Naomi Ravn, has told us: ‘We love the environment, and it is great that there are such brilliant facilities for all age groups.
‘The increase in cubicles across the floor has meant we can keep the young people together, rather than juggling beds, and the teenagers are really enjoying the environment. The teenage space in clinic is amazing: we can finally do peer support activities now for young people having outpatient chemotherapy.’
Naomi says that medically they have everything they need on the unit; but we have now offered to raise funds for activities and treats that will help the teenage cancer patients feel better. The staff hope to take a group on an outing to Harry Potter World – the Warner Brothers studio tour – this spring. Also, they’ve started running ‘pamper sessions’ on the unit, for both sexes, including massage, festival faces, manicures and pedicures, and mini facials – for young people not well enough to go to a salon – as well as their parents. They have found this can give families a huge boost to morale.
We are also delighted to report that we have now been able to fund in the short-term the provision of an outreach nurse for teenage cancer patients based in Worcester. This is thanks mainly to two large and unexpected donations. One was anonymous, the other a kind legacy from a family friend, the late Joan Batchelor. We would like to support this post in the future but we will need more help…
