Support the Mirror Xmas Appeal to give kids fighting cancer a reason to smile

03 December 2023 , 07:00

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A doctor speaks to a child battling cancer [stock photo] (Image: Getty Images)

For most people Christmas will be a joyous time of presents, food and families coming together.

But for thousands of children this festive season will be very different. Each year more than more than 4,000 children and young people under 25 are diagnosed with cancer.

Many will be spending what should be a special time of the year in hospital, separated from their families, friends and loved ones. With your help we can give them a reason to smile this Christmas.

This year’s Mirror Christmas Appeal is raising funds for Young Lives vs Cancer - a charity dedicated to helping children and their families living with the disease. When a child is diagnosed with cancer it does not just take an emotional toll on them and their families.

As they need special treatment they are often admitted to hospitals that can be many miles from their family home - putting an additional burden on family finances. With you support could help pay towards the travelling costs so parents and guardians can be with their loved ones.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

The Mirror's Christmas Appeal this year is for children affected affected by cancer

It could mean families so they don’t have to choose between heating or eating this winter while their child receives chemotherapy. And it could help fund overnight accommodation for visiting relatives at one of the Young Lives vs Cancer’s special Homes from Home centres.

Each day 12 young people receive a cancer diagnosis and it remains the biggest killer by disease of the under 25s in the UK.

Just a small donation could make a world of difference to a young person living with cancer.

• £5 could help pay for parking and petrol, so young people with cancer, and their families, can get to hospital for vital treatment without worrying about the cost.
• £10 could pay towards a Young Lives vs Cancer crisis grant for families struggling with the cost of living.
• £20 could pay for a coat for a child or young person with cancer to help keep them warm through the winter months when they really feel the cold due to treatment.
• £24 would pay for one hour of a specialist Young Lives vs Cancer social worker’s time, so that children and young people with cancer, and their families, get the right care and support at the right time.
• £38 could pay for a child with cancer’s family to stay overnight in one of Young Lives vs Cancer’s Homes from Home, providing free self-catering accommodation near to specialist children’s cancer hospitals.

Each year Young Lives vs Cancer, formerly CLIC Sargent, supports more than 7,000 children who have cancer. On average families pay out an extra £700 a month on things such as food, transport and household bills when their child is going through cancer treatment.

The charity’s financial grants help families with these costs during treatment so they can put food on the table and travel to and from hospital. In addition to helping with the additional costs, Young Lives vs Cancer it is the only charity in the UK with a dedicated team of social workers who provide psychological support and advice to patients.

Rachel Kirby-Rider, Chief Executive at Young Lives vs Cancer, said: “We know times are hard at the moment. Every pound from Mirror readers to Young Lives vs Cancer will help us be there for children and young people facing cancer and their families, to make sure they’re not alone this Christmas.

“Every day I hear just how much this support means to families at the toughest time. There’s the grant a young person used to buy a winter coat to keep warm during treatment, the social worker who sat and spoke to a teenage girl about losing her hair or the kitchen at our Home from Home that meant a dad could make his daughter’s favourite meal and take it to the ward still piping hot.

“Thank you to each and every reader who goes on to support this year’s Christmas appeal for Young Lives vs Cancer.”

Jason Beattie