“Childhood Cancer Shatters Families”

 Launching Beads of Courage UK

After the diagnosis of our son Ted, we joined forces with two other remarkable families whose children had also been diagnosed with cancer, the Watts and the Wests. Together we went on to introduce the Beads of Courage Oncology Programme to the UK. Our hope was that we could use this positive reinforcement tool to help the mental health and wellbeing of every child diagnosed with cancer, one bead at a time.

 The Sibling Programme

Due to the exceptional support and understanding that we have received from our charity partners Children with Cancer UK, together we will now tackle another great injustice. Our goal is to shine a light and then help eradicate the forgotten child syndrome. Which is the medical definition for the childhood trauma that often impacts the siblings of a child diagnosed with childhood cancer. It has taken us 18 months of hard work, planning and dedication to be in a position where we can finally make this announcement and start work on our pilot scheme. As our charities move forward together, our aim is to give hope, support and encouragement to the many thousands of brothers and sisters all over the UK, using our Beads of Courage Sibling Programme.

John Drummond, Chairman and Co Founder of Beads of Courage UK