MANY of us are looking forward to the new decade with hopes and aspirations and our families at our sides.

But for some families, their worlds have been ripped apart by serious illness.

The Sick Children’s Trust is dedicated to giving families with a seriously ill child in hospital the chance to be close to their loved ones when they need it most.

About 2.1 million children are admitted to hospital every year.

Often they find themselves in a town far away from home so they can receive the care they need.

The Sick Children’s Trust has ten Homes from Home, which allow parents to stay close by while their children are receiving treatment.

Over the past ten years, the charity has kept more than 33,000 families together.

Dominic Morgan, from Colchester, knows how valuable the Homes from Home are.

In 2010, his 12-year-old daughter, Jodi, was admitted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, when she became seriously ill with aplastic anaemia.

The condition occurs when bone marrow does not produce sufficient new cells to replenish blood cells.

Jodi was treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital for a week before she died, surrounded by her family.

During this time, her family were given a place to stay at the Sick Children’s Trust’s Acorn House, just minutes from Jodi’s bedside.

Dominic said: “When we lost our daughter, our world fell apart.

“These were dark times that took us many years to pull through.

“You deal with it and learn to live with it because there’s no other way.

“The emotional scars will never heal, but life does get more bearable with every year that passes.”

Gazette:

At their darkest point, the Sick Children’s Trust provided the family with a sanctuary which allowed them to be close to Jodi in those last days.

Dominic said: “We were given a place to stay at Acorn House for several days which enabled us to be by Jodi’s side in an instant.

“Keeping our family together was vital to us for emotional support.

“A warm, homely, normal house was the thing we needed most at a time of such immense distress.

“Jodi also knew we were only a minute away, which I know she took great comfort in. Without the support of the trust, this would have never been possible due to logistics and our financial means.”

After Jodi died, the family began a series of fundraising events for the Sick Children’s Trust.

Dominic said: “It was a good focus whilst everything else was so bleak.

“We are proud we’ve managed to raise several thousand pounds through our events and efforts to date.

“As a creative filmmaker and fledgling author, a percentage of proceeds from all my work and any events I organise will continue to support this charity.”

Chief executive Jane Featherstone said: “We are so grateful to Dominic and his family for all their fundraising. This has meant more families have been able to be together with their seriously ill child.

“As a charity we want to make sure no moment is lost when a family is caring for their child in hospital and do this by giving them a warm and comfortable place to stay, free of charge, just minutes from their loved one’s hospital bedside.

“This month marks the start of a new decade, and as a charity we will continue to be there for families who find themselves with a seriously ill child in hospital, giving them a place to stay and one less thing to worry about.”

Visit sickchildrenstrust.org.