Hayley Pugh is a parent of a chronically ill teenager called Joseph. Joseph has been poorly since birth and at just 17 years of age, he has recently had a liver transplant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Hayley said, “Joseph is autistic, has a mild learning difficulty and also suffers from PTSD. He has had various health problems from birth and has had numerous stays in hospital with many surgical procedures.
In late September last year he was admitted to Telford hospital and due to his poor health was then transferred to the QE Birmingham in October to await a liver transplant which luckily he did.
Up until the transplant, and due to covid restrictions, we as parents had to share his care, spending two days at a time with him, with the other parent travelling to and from our home in Wales a round trip of around 120 miles.”
Hayley and her partner Russ live in a small rural town called Welshpool in Wales. This 120-mile trip was creating both a financial and mental strain on the couple. UHB Charity was able to offer Hayley and her family free accommodation whilst Joseph recovered in Hospital for four months.
The Home away from Home appeal helps to provide patients and families with free accommodation near to our hospitals, helping to keep families together during difficult times in their lives. We are always raising money to fund this accommodation for the families of patients who are.
For patients and their families, visiting the hospitals can be a stressful experience without the added pressure of trying to find somewhere to stay to be near a loved one. We provide these homes away from home to alleviate that stress and make visiting the hospital, under what can be very difficult circumstances, as easy as possible.
With your help, we can help to provide these added extras that comfort and support patients and their families when they need it the most.
Hayley said, “We got the keys and didn’t really know what to expect. Maybe a simple place to make a cuppa and put our heads down for a little while. But when we walked through the door our eyes lit up. It was a real home from home. We were able to rest and recuperate, to “recharge our batteries” for what we knew would be an important period in our son’s recovery.
To be able to get a good night’s sleep, to be able to cook our own meals, launder our clothes, have a shower and have some “me” time was so lovely and comforting.
We look back now and realise that we were barely functioning before having the cottage. It was our salvation. It was such a big part in our son’s healing process, helping keep him safe. The respite we got from the Bottle Cottage project was incredible for our well-being.
It costs just £25 a night for a family to stay in one of our homes away from home. A small amount that makes a significant difference to these families’ lives.
Hayley added, “We can honestly say that to have UHBC and Bottle Cottages, with their excellent facilities, so close to the QE is an absolute lifeline for families going through such traumatic times of having loved ones in hospital and we can’t thank them enough.”
If you would like to support more families like Hayley’s you can do so by going to https://www.hospitalcharity.org/homefromhome.
You can watch Hayley’s story and the difference Bottle Cottages has made to her family by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpAgaC9X9IE.
