Hope for Evie
This week is Rowland Hill Fund (RHF) Fundraising Week, your chance to raise money for our in-house charity to help support those who are struggling financially.
Throughout the week, we’ll be bringing you stories of serving and former colleagues who have benefitted from the Fund to help you understand more about the kind of work the charity does.
The RHF aims to continue to make financial grants to those who need it, but can only do so with your fundraising support in keeping the work of the Fund alive.
When Truro postman Alfie Mitchell’s two-year-old daughter, Evie, was born early at 33 weeks with severe reflux and a small hole in her heart, he turned to the RHF for support with the cost of emergency accommodation in Bristol.
When Evie attended Bristol Royal Hospital for Children for an MRI scan, a large tumour was revealed in the middle of her brain, which extended down onto the top of her spinal cord.
When doctors decided that the best course of action was to operate to remove the tumour, it took a few weeks before Evie was deemed ready to go to theatre. Thereafter, she was moved into the paediatric intensive care unit. During this time, Alfie needed to stay near the hospital as Evie was in such a critical condition.
Evie has been in hospital since the middle of April and is still in paediatric intensive care. Since the operation, she has been on a ventilator and will require extensive rehabilitation, that could last more than 12 months.
The RHF was able to support Alfie with more than £2,300 towards the cost of emergency accommodation so that he could stay close to his daughter.
Since Evie’s operation, Alfie has had to return to work, and is only able to visit his daughter at weekends. In July, consultants decided that Evie required further surgery to install a shunt in her brain. When Alfie took annual leave for a week, so that he could be near the hospital, the Fund was able to assist further with travel and accommodation costs.
How can you help?
If you would like to contribute to the Fund regularly through your pay or pension, please visit: www.givingonline.org.uk (colleagues) or www.charitycheckout.co.uk/207479/Donate (pensioners).
Anyone can get involved and support this week’s RHF Fundraising Week:
- Invite the Fund to come to your unit and present on the work of the charity at a WTLL
- Request a charity bucket from either shan.lawrence1@royalmail.com or mary.jeffery@royalmail.com
- Run a cake bake, office quiz, or take part in a sponsored sporting event
- Use the fundraising pack, leaflets and poster in your units.
If you think you or a colleague may need help, call the Rowland Hill Fund confidential helpline on 0345 600 4586 to start the process. If necessary, you can also call on a colleague’s behalf to help them take the first step.
You can also contact them directly at rowland.hill.fund@royalmail.com or follow the Fund on Facebook or Twitter.
