Sponsor a Paediatric Endocrine Nurse  

The last two years have been extremely challenging for our charity. However, the commitment, resilience, and creativity displayed by the pituitary community throughout this period meant that we emerged from the worst of it optimistic about our future.  

We expanded our services by recruiting a second Endocrine Nurse, Darshna Patel, and permanently extended the Endocrine Nurse helpline hours. This would not have been possible without the pituitary community’s emphatic response to our ‘Second Endocrine Nurse Appeal’. 

Our two Endocrine Nurses are both excellent and provide much-needed support, information, and advice to pituitary patients in their hour of need. However, both nurses are trained to support adult patients, so might not have the niche training that would allow them to support the families of child patients as much as a paediatric specialist would. There are approximately 500 new cases of children born or diagnosed with pituitary conditions in the UK every year (British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes). We recognise that this calls for the recruitment of a dedicated Paediatric Endocrine Nurse to our helplines.  

We have noticed a drop-off in expected donation income compared to this time last year, which could be due to the current cost of living crisis. We are fully aware many are experiencing an extremely challenging period, which is why we would be even more grateful for a donation of any size towards this appeal.  

“My son was born with a non-functioning pituitary gland and The Pituitary Foundation has been a great source of support and information since he was born – especially the Endocrine Nurse Helpline, which I have used on many occasions. There have been a couple of times that I’ve called though and the nurses have been unable to answer my queries, advising that I should ask my son’s Consultant or the paediatric endocrine nurse at the hospital. I think the Nurse Helpline is great and I always recommend it to others – but if there were a dedicated Paediatric Endocrine Nurse I think it would be truly exceptional. For this reason, I would urge you to donate to this appeal.” Gemma Simpson, mother of Oscar (left, child with hypopituitarism) 

On behalf of pituitary patients across the UK & ROI we would like to thank you in anticipation of your generous support.