Parents and carers of sick children in King’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and on Rays of Sunshine and Princess Elizabeth and Lion wards now have a new space away from their child's bedside to eat, talk and take a break, thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of three special families.
The Betts, Dove and Rice families all understood what it was like to have a sick child on a ward, sometimes for weeks on end, and were determined to make life a little easier for others in the same situation.
A lack of space and privacy
Before the refurbishments, the parents’ rooms lacked privacy and were cramped with limited amenities.
“Sometimes people would come in to make themselves a drink or something to eat,” says Dan Betts whose daughter Elena was in the PICU, “not realising that a family was in there receiving devastating news about their child.”
Born with a rare genetic condition, fun-loving Elena, was just three when she sadly passed away in December 2019. Dan and his wife Mel decided to take inspiration from their daughter’s positive and happy outlook on life and launched the Elena Effect to raise money for King’s and highlight the importance of organ donation.
Thanks to their incredible fundraising efforts, PICU parent room was completely transformed, changing a cramped, dark area into a calming and relaxing space.
Fundraising to make a positive difference
When Howard and Katie Dove’s twelve-year-old daughter Evie was diagnosed with a brain tumour, the family spent a great deal of time on Elizabeth and Lion wards while she was being treated.
They wholeheartedly agreed with Dan’s wish for “a comfortable, private space where families could sit, eat and rest just a few minutes from their child’s bedside.”
When Evie sadly died in March 2022 after a year-long battle, the Doves wanted to give back to the wards that cared for their daughter. Inspired by her bravery and positivity, Evie’s family and friends began fundraising in her memory to help refurbish the parent room on the Princess Elizabeth and Lion ward.
Jake was just three when he was diagnosed with hyperacute liver failure and needed a liver transplant to save his life. He spent two weeks in the intensive care unit and five weeks on Rays of Sunshine paediatric liver ward before being discharged home.
“We started fundraising to express our deepest gratitude to King’s for saving our little boy’s life,” says Olivia, Jake Rice’s mum.
“We wanted to give something back to help other families who are on this terrifying journey,” says Olivia. So the Rice family set their sights on transforming the Rays of Sunshine parent room, which had very limited amenities.
A new place for parents
Together, the Betts, Dove and Rice families have raised an incredible £90,000 to help fund the much-needed refurbishment of three parent rooms across King’s.
Thanks to them, the new rooms have been reconfigured to improve the layout and create more space. Each carefully designed interior has comfortable seating and soft lighting, giving parents a private, tranquil space to reset and recharge.
Calming colours and artwork, which the families helped choose, create a relaxing atmosphere, offering warmth and comfort to parents who want to feel like they aren't in a hospital – even just for a short while.
Home comforts
Each room has a comfortable seating area and has been fitted with a new TV, fridge, microwave and other kitchen essentials. There is also space to eat at a proper table, as well as a dedicated area to work from.
The rooms are already proving invaluable and parents have said that they don’t know what they’d do without the space. One mum said that she loved going in there for just a few minutes of calm and another said that she often went in and tidied up or cleaned the worktops just to feel like she was at home.
Working in partnership to achieve the best results
“We fundraised for King’s College Hospital Charity over the course of three years and built up a very good relationship with them. They kept us in the loop with all developments and we helped choose the colour scheme and artwork,” says Mel Betts.
The whole family visited the newly refurbished PICU parent room in March, “We wanted Elena’s brothers to be involved as they spent a lot of time in the parent room, too. Seeing the transformation helped them feel like they’ve had a positive impact in improving the room for other families.”
By working collaboratively with the families, Charity and Trust stakeholders, designers, contractors, ward staff, and the Trust and Estates facilities team, we have been able to deliver three fantastic new spaces for parents who are going through the unimaginable.
But we couldn’t have done it without our amazing families who baked, walked, cycled, ran, hiked, raffled, quizzed and danced their way to raise an astonishing £90,000 in honour of their beloved children, Elena, Evie and Jake.