Zoe's family,
supported in 1990
Being pregnant, with three other children and a seriously ill child, Rainbow Trust gave us each the support, love and care we needed.
Zoe’s family was supported by Rainbow Trust in 1990. After spending time at Rainbow House, Zoe’s mum, Aileen, and Aileen’s husband, Colin, wrote this letter to the staff.
Zoe in hospital with Colin and her sister, Emma
Zoe with her
brothers and sister
Back
Zoe's family,
supported in 1990
Being pregnant, with three other children and a seriously ill child, Rainbow Trust gave us each the support, love and care we needed.
Zoe’s family was supported by Rainbow Trust in 1990. After spending time at Rainbow House, Zoe’s mum, Aileen, and Aileen’s husband, Colin, wrote this letter to the staff.
Zoe with her brothers and sister
Rainbow Trust is the out-stretched hand that you want to grab hold of.
If only I had known about them two years ago when my then 10-year-old daughter was first diagnosed as having a brain tumour. The weeks in hospital followed by eight weeks of radiotherapy, with two older children, a baby of five months and the knowledge that another baby was on the way.
Zoe was fit and well for nearly two years after her tumour was successfully treated, then out of the blue it returned. We were told she had four to eight weeks to live. She lived for seven.
We nursed Zoe at home with tremendous help from our doctor and the nurses, but there was never any time on our own. The doorbell was always ringing, the phone going non-stop, meals to prepare and two very lively little boys to keep happy.
We agreed that we would like to go to Rainbow House in Surrey.
The moment we walked in it felt as though a weight had been lifted. We spent ten wonderful days there. Zoe was in bed a lot of the time, but we had time to be a family. It was just like being at home, one big happy family, but we didn’t have to worry about cooking meals, washing or answering the door. The boys always had someone to look after them but Mum and Dad were there if a cuddle was needed.
When we came home the Family Support Workers came in every day, they looked after the boys, sat with Zoe, helped with the household chores or just talked if that was what we wanted.
Zoe passed away a week after our return from Rainbow House. On the day of the funeral two Family Support Workers came early to collect the boys and looked after them at the service.
If you needed to talk, someone was always there, if you wanted to be quiet and alone, you could be. Whatever your views are, they are respected. Support, love and care is given in abundance. We all left a little bit of our hearts at Rainbow House, and also a tremendous amount of our love.
Our love to you all, always.
Aileen and Colin
10 April 1990
In loving memory of Zoe
Aileen now has seven grandchildren who are all doing well and she regularly visits the Netherlands where her son lives. Colin is in the process of downsizing his business, ready for retirement. The family kindly fundraised for Rainbow Trust by cycling 300 miles from Land’s End to Leatherhead, Surrey, and completing a golf marathon.
36 years later Aileen said:
“Staying at Rainbow House was the most amazing time. When you are caring for a seriously ill child you never have those moments to yourself, it is 24/7. Time is precious. It was a place that enabled us to go somewhere to be taken care of. It was a golden nugget. Everyone needed something different and everyone got exactly what they needed.
“Even though my children were tiny, they took on everything. With what was going on around them, the support was a positive thing. It helped everyone in the family deal with Zoe’s death. It has had a ripple effect and a massive impact on how we deal with the process of death. Rainbow Trust was a charity that could help where it was really, really needed.”
Grief and bereavement are incredibly difficult to navigate and cope with. It is only thanks to your kindness and donations that we can give families support for as long as they need it.
Zoe in hospital with Colin and her sister, Emma
Zoe's family,
supported in 1990
Being pregnant, with three other children and a seriously ill child, Rainbow Trust gave us each the support, love and care we needed.
Back
Zoe’s family was supported by Rainbow Trust in 1990. After spending time at Rainbow House, Zoe’s mum, Aileen, and Aileen’s husband, Colin, wrote this letter to the staff.
Zoe in hospital with Colin and her sister, Emma
Zoe with her
brothers and sister
Next
Rainbow Trust is the out-stretched hand that you want to grab hold of.
If only I had known about them two years ago when my then 10-year-old daughter was first diagnosed as having a brain tumour. The weeks in hospital followed by eight weeks of radiotherapy, with two older children, a baby of five months and the knowledge that another baby was on the way.
Zoe was fit and well for nearly two years after her tumour was successfully treated, then out of the blue it returned. We were told she had four to eight weeks to live. She lived for seven.
We nursed Zoe at home with tremendous help from our doctor and the nurses, but there was never any time on our own. The doorbell was always ringing, the phone going non-stop, meals to prepare and two very lively little boys to keep happy.
We agreed that we would like to go to Rainbow House in Surrey.
The moment we walked in it felt as though a weight had been lifted. We spent ten wonderful days there. Zoe was in bed a lot of the time, but we had time to be a family. It was just like being at home, one big happy family, but we didn’t have to worry about cooking meals, washing or answering the door. The boys always had someone to look after them but Mum and Dad were there if a cuddle was needed.
When we came home the Family Support Workers came in every day, they looked after the boys, sat with Zoe, helped with the household chores or just talked if that was what we wanted.
Zoe passed away a week after our return from Rainbow House. On the day of the funeral two Family Support Workers came early to collect the boys and looked after them at the service.
If you needed to talk, someone was always there, if you wanted to be quiet and alone, you could be. Whatever your views are, they are respected. Support, love and care is given in abundance. We all left a little bit of our hearts at Rainbow House, and also a tremendous amount of our love.
Our love to you all, always.
Aileen and Colin
10 April 1990
Rainbow Trust is the out-stretched hand that you want to grab hold of.
If only I had known about them two years ago when my then 10-year-old daughter was first diagnosed as having a brain tumour. The weeks in hospital followed by eight weeks of radiotherapy, with two older children, a baby of five months and the knowledge that another baby was on the way.
Zoe was fit and well for nearly two years after her tumour was successfully treated, then out of the blue it returned. We were told she had four to eight weeks to live. She lived for seven.
We nursed Zoe at home with tremendous help from our doctor and the nurses, but there was never any time on our own. The doorbell was always ringing, the phone going non-stop, meals to prepare and two very lively little boys to keep happy.
We agreed that we would like to go to Rainbow House in Surrey.
The moment we walked in it felt as though a weight had been lifted. We spent ten wonderful days there. Zoe was in bed a lot of the time, but we had time to be a family. It was just like being at home, one big happy family, but we didn’t have to worry about cooking meals, washing or answering the door. The boys always had someone to look after them but Mum and Dad were there if a cuddle was needed.
When we came home the Family Support Workers came in every day, they looked after the boys, sat with Zoe, helped with the household chores or just talked if that was what we wanted.
Zoe passed away a week after our return from Rainbow House. On the day of the funeral two Family Support Workers came early to collect the boys and looked after them at the service.
If you needed to talk, someone was always there, if you wanted to be quiet and alone, you could be. Whatever your views are, they are respected. Support, love and care is given in abundance. We all left a little bit of our hearts at Rainbow House, and also a tremendous amount of our love.
Our love to you all, always.
Aileen and Coli
10 April 1990
In loving memory of Zoe
Aileen now has seven grandchildren who are all doing well and she regularly visits the Netherlands where her son lives. Colin is in the process of downsizing his business, ready for retirement. The family kindly fundraised for Rainbow Trust by cycling 300 miles from Land’s End to Leatherhead, Surrey, and completing a golf marathon.
36 years later Aileen said:
“Staying at Rainbow House was the most amazing time. When you are caring for a seriously ill child you never have those moments to yourself, it is 24/7. Time is precious. It was a place that enabled us to go somewhere to be taken care of. It was a golden nugget. Everyone needed something different and everyone got exactly what they needed.
“Even though my children were tiny, they took on everything. With what was going on around them, the support was a positive thing. It helped everyone in the family deal with Zoe’s death. It has had a ripple effect and a massive impact on how we deal with the process of death. Rainbow Trust was a charity that could help where it was really, really needed.”
Grief and bereavement are incredibly difficult to navigate and cope with. It is only thanks to your kindness and donations that we can give families support for as long as they need it.
In loving memory of Zoe
Aileen now has seven grandchildren who are all doing well and she regularly visits the Netherlands where her son lives. Colin is in the process of downsizing his business, ready for retirement. The family kindly fundraised for Rainbow Trust by cycling 300 miles from Land’s End to Leatherhead, Surrey, and completing a golf marathon.
36 years later Aileen said:
“Staying at Rainbow House was the most amazing time. When you are caring for a seriously ill child you never have those moments to yourself, it is 24/7. Time is precious. It was a place that enabled us to go somewhere to be taken care of. It was a golden nugget. Everyone needed something different and everyone got exactly what they needed.
“Even though my children were tiny, they took on everything. With what was going on around them, the support was a positive thing. It helped everyone in the family deal with Zoe’s death. It has had a ripple effect and a massive impact on how we deal with the process of death. Rainbow Trust was a charity that could help where it was really, really needed.”
Grief and bereavement are incredibly difficult to navigate and cope with. It is only thanks to your kindness and donations that we can give families support for as long as they need it.