This week marks聽. Thanks to your support, we鈥檙e able to help people affected by meningitis like James and his family.
主播大秀 Children in Need helped James and his family who were all affected by meningitis.
James, who鈥檚 nearly seven, is always聽on the go! He loves playing outside 鈥� especially on his trampoline.聽But his mum and dad always have to keep an eye on him because he鈥檚 more fragile than many children.聽He was born 24 weeks prematurely, weighing just a pound.聽Then, in February 2007 when he was still just a baby, he fell ill with meningococcal septicaemia. As a result, he has poor eyesight, learning difficulties, mobility and balance problems.聽
To help James at school, a special educational needs worker supports him so that he has the best chance of achieving his full potential.聽But his illness affected the rest of his family too. His parents were desperately worried about him and his older sister Melissa watched him fight for his life. So they and little sister Trudy, who鈥檚 four, were all invited to go to the Meningitis Trust鈥檚 Family Day in Northern Ireland, that鈥檚 funded by 主播大秀 Children in Need. There, Melissa met an art therapist and continues to have Art Therapy to help her work through her fears and worries. They also met and became firm friends with another family who鈥檇 been through a similarly frightening experience. Now the two mums regularly meet up for coffee to support each other.
Thanks to your donations, 主播大秀 Children in Need was able to award a grant of 拢3,000 to pay for families like James鈥� in Northern Ireland who have experienced meningitis to go to their local Family Day.
They were just one of the 21 families who were able to enjoy the family day at Stormont Pavilion on September 14 with activities ranging from Jo Jingles music sessions to face painting, balloon modellers, craft tables, cupcake making and mask designing.
We wanted to tell you all about James to mark 聽which takes place to coincide with the increased risk of contracting meningitis 鈥� a swelling of the brain and spinal cord lining and septicaemia 鈥� blood poisoning 鈥� as we move into autumn and winter. To find out more about the difference your money makes, visit our ' section.