When parents first encounter Joanna Beaumont, many are still processing the terrifying news that their child has cancer. She knows exactly how they feel.
Twenty years ago, she went through a similar nightmare when her son was diagnosed with the disease. That experience now helps inform her work, providing a lifeline for families at a “Home from Home” run by Young Lives vs Cancer.
As manager of Billy’s House in Nottingham, a six-bedroom property opposite the city’s Queen’s Medical Centre, she welcomes up to 14 families a month to stay while their child has treatment.
“This is a home from home for those families who live some distance away from Nottingham,” says Joanna. “They can stay as a family at the house during treatment and don’t have to worry about travel. It means so much for them to be together.”
Billy’s House is one of ten accommodation centres run by Young Lives vs Cancer around the country. In the last year alone, 577 families have spent more than 20,000 nights in a “Home from Home” run by the charity.
Demand is high as the parents and carers of children with cancer face an average of £700 of extra costs during every month of treatment, with £250 of that spent on travelling around 350 miles a month. For many, the financial strain is immense.
“It’s an added stress for families who are going through the most horrendous time of their lives,” says Joanna.
“Transport costs, fares, running a car, parking, petrol, it all adds up. And if the parents have had to reduce their hours or even finish work while treatment is going on, it’s an even bigger worry.”
When a child or young person begins cancer treatment at the Queen’s Medical Centre, a specialist social worker from Young Lives vs Cancer will meet the family to discuss their needs and find out if a stay at Billy’s House may help.
“We invite them over,” says Joanna. “Often it’s the first time they’ve been off the ward since the diagnosis and sometimes they’re like rabbits in the headlights because there’s so much to take in.
“But once they’ve been shown the place, they can see for themselves that it’s a real home from home. You can tell by the look on their faces, you can see their shoulders drop as they start to relax, it’s such a relief for them.”
Some families stay only briefly but others, depending on treatment plans, may be residents for many months.
“We had a family recently who stayed for nearly a year because of the treatment their little boy was on,” says Joanna.
“They managed to get home for a few weekends but for the majority of the time, mum and dad and the boy’s little sister were here. It’s obviously great when treatment is over and they go, but we miss them too.”
Keeping families together during treatment is an invaluable benefit of Homes from Home, says Joanna. “We’ve got a new family this week, where the siblings are staying with us too.
“One of the parents will stay with their brother on the ward, while the other is with the siblings. It means that at least one of the parents will get a good night’s sleep to set them up ready for the next day. It’s priceless, really.”
For many parents, staying at Billy’s House also gives them a chance to share their worries with others who are going through similar experiences.
“Families have their own space here but we also have communal areas, because families do sometimes need a chat,” says Joanna.
“They can get strength from each other, because there’s that common thread going through everything that they’re experiencing, there’s an understanding between them.
“While every case is different, they have a strong bond because their child is going through treatment. I know that some have formed strong friendships while they’ve been here and have stayed in touch after they left.”
Billy’s House opened in 2009 and is named after Billy Greenall, who raised the funds to make it a reality after deciding he did not want other families to have to travel miles to hospital for cancer treatment like he did.
But the Home from Home in Nottingham, which has had a near-90 per cent occupancy rate since it opened, is not cheap to run. Joanna estimates it costs £75,000 a year to keep its doors open to grateful families going through treatment.
“The demand is constant and we’re a charity that relies entirely on donations, so the Christmas Appeal by The i Paper is so welcome”, says Joanna.
“We have a number of families that have stayed with us in the past, still raising funds and giving donations. It’s really lovely to see that.”
When parents complete their stays at the end of treatment, Joanna is often reminded how valuable a Home from Home has been during the most difficult time of the family’s life.
“They tell us how lovely the house is, how peaceful it is to be away from the hospital ward. They tell us that they don’t know what they would have done without us.
“I think a key factor is that the family can all be together. That’s so important. If these houses weren’t here, they wouldn’t be able to stay together, and families need to be all together because they’re going through the most awful time.”
For Joanna, her experience twenty years ago underlines the importance of her work at Billy’s House now. ‘My son had cancer a long time ago but we lived locally, only about 10 minutes from the hospital,” she says.
“Looking back, I can’t imagine what it was like for those families having to travel a long distance just to get to treatment. We just took it for granted.
“It doesn’t bear thinking about what it must have been like without the availability of accommodation services such as Billy’s House.”
A Home for Christmas appeal
The i Paper is proud to support Young Lives vs Cancer through its Christmas Appeal, A Home for Christmas, helping to make a lasting difference for families with children facing cancer.
The appeal aims to raise £100,000 to ensure the charity can continue providing vital, tailored support – from financial guidance and emotional care to its “Homes from Home” accommodation centres, which allow families to stay together near hospital during treatment.
To donate, visit younglivesvscancer.org.uk/i-appeal or text IPAPERTEN to 70580 to donate £10 or IPAPERTWENTY to donate £20.
*Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.
What your money could buy
- £5 could print five storybooks to help a child understand the cancer treatment they are having.
- £10 could buy food so families can cook a meal to enjoy together away from the hospital canteen.
- £18 helps power a Home from Home for a day.
- £52 means a social worker could provide emotional and practical support (such as applying for financial help or attending difficult appointments) so children and their families don’t have to face cancer alone.
- £70 could pay for a family stay in a Young Lives vs Cancer Home from Home so they can be near their child in hospital with cancer.
- £100 could fund a hardship grant for families.
