News / Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2023
Bristol charity advent calendar 2023, day 8: Jessie May
Some of the children looked after by Jessie May – a charity that provides specialist nursing care for terminally ill children in their own homes – star in a new nativity video.
“We started planning this project back at the beginning of the year to get everything ready for Christmas time,” said Lois, a Jessie May nurse.
“The video gives the children we look after a chance to take part in a nativity when they may not be able to usually and it’s also been a super fun project to complete for everyone involved.
is needed now More than ever
“We hope everyone has as much fun watching it as we had making it!”
Jessie May are currently fundraising in order to sponsor a nurse like Lois for a whole year, providing 15 additional families with the vital care and support that the charity offers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2H4FjtUXdg
Over the last decade, more and more children have been referred to the Kingswood-based charity than ever before.
Their medical needs have become ever more complex and as a result, the clinical care Jessie May nurses provide is becoming more specialist, especially at end-of-life.
Today, their team of nurses delivering care in the home stands at 16. To fund just one of them costs from £41,000 each year.
Children with life-limiting conditions are missing the chance to live their lives at home with their families, surrounded by their toys and home comforts.
To donate to Jessie May’s Sponsor a Nurse campaign, visit www.jessiemay.org.uk/santd-form
Jessie May’s mission is to provide the very best care and support possible, at home, for children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their whole families.
This care and support takes place for the whole journey in life, at the end of life and in bereavement.
The Jessie May Trust was established by parents Chris and Philippa Purrington following the death of their baby daughter, Jessica May, in September 1994.
Jessica died from a genetic condition, spinal muscular atrophy when she was only four and a half months old.
Jessica was cared for by her family, in her own home, throughout her illness.
She died peacefully at home in her father’s arms; in privacy, with dignity and surrounded by all those who loved her.
During a visit to her family in Bristol, Jessica was admitted to Southmead Hospital. It was here that the family learnt that the incredible support that they received in their home in Buckinghamshire was not available to families who care for their child at home in the Bristol area.
The Purringtons were determined to do what they could to make sure that other children with conditions like Jessica’s, and their families, could access support in their own homes and have the choice to die at home when the time comes.
After a lot of hard work and perseverance, initial funding was secured and the Jessie May charity was launched in 1996.
Main photo: Jessie May
Read next:
- Jessie May celebrates 21 years work
- Gas Girls reveal new shirt in collaboration with St Peter’s Hospice
- Local children’s charity receives game-changing grant
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