Thanks for taking the time to visit Benjamin's JustGiving page. 

Our journey with Claire House began from our 20 week scan, at which a dark area was noted in Benjamin's brain. The 20 week scan was followed by further scans at Liverpool Women's and Alderhey, confirming a large fluid filled cyst. Claire House was initially suggested to us by Liverpool Women's as an organisation to provide support to parents facing uncertainty in situations similar to ours. 

Initial diagnosis resulted in scans and appointments to monitor Benjamin's development. As he grew so did the cyst. We were prepared in these appointments for surgery Benjamin would require soon after birth, but also the chance he may not survive pregnancy and then birth.  Claire House attended all the appointments with us...often there was a lot to take in, we found it invaluable to have another set of ears to take it all in.  It transpired they were also at his Birth to give support and allow David to leave theatre to go to neonatal with our little man whilst Paula stayed with me so I wasn't alone. 

From that day forward our relationship with Claire House continued with them checking in on us during our multiple surgery's, stays in hospital and tours around the many wards in Alderhey!

In November following a routine MRI after surgery we were called into Alderhey to be told that a brain tumour had been identified. Further tests and meetings confirmed the tumor to be malignant and aggressive in nature. The limited chance (almost 0%) of their being a cure led us to the difficult decision to halt any further treatment and enjoy the rest of the time we had with him, which we were told was likely to be limited. Having Claire House available to provide palliative care has been more than we could ever have hoped. We spent a total of just over 6 weeks at the hospice making memories and being mum and dad whilst being supported in his treatment and symptom management... We now class ourselves as Wirral locals! 

Benjamin sadly passed away on 16th January.  It was peaceful and painless and for that we will forever be grateful to Claire House.  Following his passing we have all been treated with the upmost dignity, spending time in the butterfly 🦋 suite to say our final goodbyes. 

Whilst lengthy this post really doesn't cover all the things Claire House have done for us. The teams here from the care team, nurses, kitchen and housekeeping are all exceptional and we really have no way of saying thank you for everything they have done but we hope that you can help show our appreciation by making a donation to Claire House to allow them to continue to provide support to families such as ours, making what is such a difficult and heartbreaking time just that little bit easier 💙💙💙

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.