“Helen & Douglas House has given us a safe haven. We know Ella’s medical needs are covered, and we can just spend time together as a family and as a couple.”
Seven-year-old Ella has complex medical needs, which means she has spent most of her life in and out of hospital. Two years ago, the family from Northamptonshire were told about Helen & Douglas House, which has quickly become a ‘home from home’. Not only is it one of Ella’s favourite places, but it also gives her parents time to be Mum and Dad, not just carers. This is their story, as told by dad Chris.
“We found out about Helen & Douglas House whilst Ella was undergoing cancer treatment at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. We were referred by a doctor on her team, and when we came for a look around, it felt so peaceful and relaxing, with the beautiful gardens.”
Ella was born with complex medical needs, including a hormone deficiency and developmental delay. When she was two years old, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and has since undergone surgery and chemotherapy.
“As new parents, we were just starting to get our heads around the fact that we didn’t have a neurotypical child, and then we found out we had a child with cancer. All of this took place during COVID‑19, which meant my wife Sarah and I couldn’t be on the hospital ward at the same time. Sometimes I had to drop Sarah and Ella at the hospital door and wouldn’t see them again for a whole week. In and out of hospitals, we became like ships passing in the night. But now Helen & Douglas House has given us a safe haven. We know Ella’s medical needs are covered, and we can just spend time together as a family and as a couple. It’s the small things that mean so much.”
“Ella has Helen & Douglas House listed on her communication tablet as one of her favourite places!”
Ella and her family have been visiting Helen & Douglas House for supportive stays since 2024. Chris says:
“Ella loves cooking and baking – she is always playing at pretend cooking – so staff often do baking with her, or she helps out in the kitchen. It gives me and my wife some much needed time to reconnect. We don’t have to worry about alarms going off every few hours for Ella’s medication. It’s really special to have somewhere we can simply spend time together, and Ella always loves her visits.”
London Marathon 2026
This year, on his 40th birthday, Chris ran the London Marathon to raise vital funds for Helen & Douglas House.
“The London Marathon atmosphere was incredible! It was more like a 26-mile carnival than a race with the crowd cheering every runner by name. The Helen & Douglas House cheer point was especially memorable, with supporters singing ‘Happy Birthday’ as I ran past which really choked me up! Reaching mile 20 felt manageable thanks to training, but the final miles required me to dig deep. Thinking about the money raised and running for Helen & Douglas House kept me going. Although our daughter Ella couldn’t make the trip to London, she watched from home and cheered as I crossed the finish line on the live stream. Completing the London Marathon on my birthday was unforgettable. It was a privilege to run for Helen & Douglas House, a charity that has supported my family, and to raise money to help other families like ours.”
“We’ve seen first-hand the incredible work Helen & Douglas House does – they’ve supported not just Ella, but all of us. It won’t pay for all the care and stays we have been given, but I wanted to run the London Marathon to fundraise and give something back.”
