Family Stories

Meet some of the children and families we support and find out how our care made the difference to their children living with life-limiting conditions.

Mike

Listen to Mike’s story to learn how we supported him and his sons, Ben and Ollie.

Jenny

Listen to Jenny and her son’s story who was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome shortly after birth.

What families say:

“Hospice’ used to be a scary word for us but now it represents safety, friendship, fun and an opportunity to be ourselves while Toby gets the best care and playmates any little boy could ask for.”

Tim, Toby’s dad

“Coming to Helen & Douglas House has made all the difference in the world to Josh and us as a family.

By helping us as parents and giving us respite, advice, emotional support and medical guidance, we are so much better able to care for Josh.”

Claire, Josh’s Mum

“Without Helen & Douglas House, we would be exhausted. We would be lost without their help.

Sometimes we stay at Helen & Douglas House to get a settled night’s sleep, and sometimes we come home and have a break from our child’s extra needs.”

Mary, Jack’s mum

“If we didn’t have the support of Helen & Douglas House we would not have had a plan in place for Jessica when she became too ill to be at home.”

Victoria, Jessica’s mum

Our stories

The Hospice Garden: A sanctuary of sensory delight

Jul 24, 2024

Helen & House children’s hospice is located in the heart of Oxford, but we are very fortunate to have outside space so we can spread our care and support into the outdoors. Our hospice opens out into our garden that offers a variety of sensory experiences, as well as being a tranquil and calming place for children and families. It serves many purposes from a space to bake, to a place to play, to an environment to make memories together, and have locations to offer reflection. Read more