Dreams can come true!
At Promise Dreams, we have one clear, simple aim: deliver dreams for seriously and terminally ill children - putting a smile on their faces, giving their families the chance to make lasting memories, or making daily life a little bit easier.
The details of the dream are dictated by the child and their family, it might be a specific holiday or location they want to visit, a celebrity or hero they want to meet, or perhaps equipment they'd like to either make life at home more comfortable or to enable them to take part in activities (such as adapted trikes).
If your child is eligible to apply, then we're here to deliver their dream, with the help of some of our own heroes: our supporters and fundraisers.
Eligibility:
Applications can be accepted on behalf of children aged from newborn up to the age of 18. Each application is fully assessed to ensure the child meets our criteria.
To ensure we can help as many families as possible, we unfortunately cannot accept applications from any child who has previously had a dream from Promise Dreams.
To be eligible, one of the following medical criteria must apply:-
o Confirmed diagnosis of a terminal condition
o Confirmed diagnosis of a degenerative life-limiting condition, for example Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or Spinal Muscular Atrophy
o Confirmed diagnosis of a serious life-limiting condition and how this affects the child
o Confirmed diagnosis of a condition requiring round-the-clock care so severe that, whilst life expectancy may not be directly affected, independent living is unlikely to ever be a possibility
Meet some of our Promise Dreams children:
Brandon
Brandon has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which means his mobility is worsening over time and he’s sadly unlikely to survive into his twenties. His severe anxiety, tiredness and struggles with his mobility means he has to be home schooled.
It also means he knew he had to try and achieve his dream of travelling to the other side of the world as soon as possible, because it would be more difficult the older he got. We were delighted to help deliver his dream and send the family to Australia where Brandon could enjoy the sunshine, swimming and have a fantastic adventure with his family.
Isabella
Isabella was born at 25 weeks then spent four and a half months in intensive care, needing life support and two major brain operations. She has Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus and global developmental delay, as well as progressively worse vision and a high risk of retinal detachment which would mean losing all sight.
Her family say she is a ‘cheeky monkey and a complete joy’ who adores her three siblings, music and lights. They asked us to help them enjoy a family holiday to Poole in Dorset where they could spend quality time together without hospital appointments and therapy sessions. We fast tracked their dream so this was possible before Isabella lost her sight.
Mary
Mary was born with a rare syndrome called Macrocephaly Capillary Malformation, as well as having Hydrocephalus and severe Epilepsy. She’s had five brain surgeries and multiple hospital stays for pneumonia and severe chest infections, and is under a hospice because her condition if life-threatening.
Mary also adores the Teletubbies and is a ‘bright little girl whose smile lights up the room’ – her family asked for our help to go to Butlins on holiday when they knew the Teletubbies were going to be there! As well as meeting her favourite characters, the break was a chance to have fun and spend time away from hospital.
Mason
Mason has a rare form of chromosome deletion along with a congenital cardiac anomaly and a cleft lip. Behavioural issues and severe learning difficulties prevent him doing things other five-year-olds are doing, and he needs constant one-to-one care to prevent him from injuring himself and others.
His family describe Mason as an amazing little boy who is really outgoing and loves music and water – they asked us for support in creating a sensory corner with a bubble tube and other equipment to help increase his quality of life.
Melvil
Melvil has SMA Type 3 – a lifelong condition which drastically reduces the mobility in his legs, meaning he’s unable to run or jump, falls over from time to time, and can’t walk long distances. He was growing out of his specialist trike, so his family asked us to help fund a new one to enable him to maintain a range of movement, increase muscle strength and tone, and give him some independence as he even commutes to school using his trike.
Melvil is an incredibly bright and motivated boy who loves chess, acting and reading, as well as being able to ‘go fast’ on his trike.
Sophia
At just three days old, Sophia was rushed to hospital with previously undetected complex medical conditions which required five open heart surgeries over the next 18 months. Future interventions and treatments are currently unknown, but despite all this Sophia is always smiling, singing and dancing and she loves Mary Poppins – particularly the character Bert.
Her family asked us to help them get to Disneyland Paris to meet her favourite characters, afterwards saying: ‘we have so many special memories, which we will cherish forever!’ Plus, Bert even stopped the parade to give Sophia a cuddle!