The Children’s Cancer Unit has been gifted a collection of specially tailored clothing to help children who are receiving treatment at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Staff at BDO Northern Ireland volunteered their time and skills to produce the childrenswear, before delivering the items in time for International Childhood Cancer Day.
As part of their commitment to supporting families affected by childhood cancer, BDO Northern Ireland undertook a project which saw members of their team alter and adapt children’s clothing, in order to make them more suitable for children who were receiving specialist treatment for cancer.
After raising enough funds through staff donations to purchase a range of childrenswear, a team set about altering items by hand – shortening sleeves, adding popper buttons and amending stitching – to provide ease for children and parents during their time at the Children’s Cancer Unit.
Speaking as the team handed over a collection of adaptive children’s clothing, Catherine Maguire, a Manager at BDO NI and mother to Conor, who is currently a patient at the unit said:
“When children are receiving cancer treatment, it is often given through a central line into their arm – for those familiar, we call this Mr. Wiggly. Children can be connected to a drip line for hours or even days at a time, so it isn’t easy to change your son or daughter into their pyjamas or a fresh change of clothes.
“When we were thinking about how we could help families during their time at the Children’s Cancer Unit, I mentioned to the team at BDO that this was something we as a family struggled with during Conor’s treatment. It didn’t take long for everyone to get on board, roll up their sleeves and get sewing! We are delighted with the end results and look forward to hearing how these special items will help many families in the future.”
Accepting the special donation on behalf of The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity, Anna McDonald added:
“BDO really have excelled themselves with this exciting project as part of their ongoing support for the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity. Parents that I have already spoken to about these altered pieces of clothing have told me just how helpful they are going to be for families going through difficult times, while their child receives treatment for cancer.
“We want to extend our thanks again to BDO for being a fantastic supporter of ours and helping make a real impact for families affected by childhood cancer in Northern Ireland.”
Donations towards BDO NI’s fundraising efforts for the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity can be made here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bdo-northern-ireland1
