Charity campaign showcases powerful bereavement support for local families
Left: the “beautiful, awesome, wonderful, loving and brave” Frankie, who was cared for by Hywel Dda’s Paediatric Palliative Care team, and right: a memory box for families, funded by the Wish Fund
Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, is calling on local communities to help them provide comfort and support to families who have lost their child.
The charity is running a campaign this spring to highlight its Wish Fund which provides support to families during times of bereavement.
The Wish Fund supports Hywel Dda’s Paediatric Palliative Care team to provide personalised support to families of children and young people receiving palliative care, and helps them create treasured memories when their child sadly passes away. From hand moulds and fingerprint jewellery to memory boxes and specialist sibling support, the fund ensures bereaved families are not alone during the most devastating moments of their lives.
Frankie’s parents Phil and Veronica shared how the Wish Fund helped them during their darkest days:
“We had the absolute pleasure of looking after the most beautiful, awesome, wonderful, loving and brave little lad who was very poorly in the last years of his life.
“We met his Paediatric Palliative Care team two years before his passing and boy what an awesome team they are.
“We will never be able to thank the Wish Fund enough. Thanks to the Wish Fund, we had the most amazing mementos, a Christmas bauble, a necklace with Frankie’s fingerprint on it and a mould of his hand. Those simple objects are our most treasured possessions along with a lock of his beautiful hair.”
The Wish Fund relies on charitable donations, and every contribution can have a lasting impact:
- £15 provides a teddy for a bereaved sibling
- £30 funds a sibling support session
- £50 creates a hand mould keepsake
- £70 provides a Memory Box
- £85 funds bespoke hand‑printed jewellery.
These meaningful items offer comfort to parents, carers and siblings who are navigating unimaginable loss.
Rebecca McDonald, Clinical Nurse Specialist - Paediatric Palliative Care, said: “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated and continues to donate to the Wish Fund.
“Thanks to your kindness and generosity, we have been able to provide meaningful memory-making items and bereavement materials. These resources make an immeasurable difference in helping us support our families through the most difficult time.
“Your compassion and support truly help us bring comfort, dignity, and lasting memories to the families we care for. Thank you for your support in helping us make a big difference to families we support across our health board.”
To find out more or to donate to the Wish Fund, please visit: https://hywelddahealthcharities.nhs.wales/campaigns/the-wish-fund/