The CPBF Supports McIntosh Family

Date of article: 08-Nov-10

The Care Professional’s Benevolent Fund is delighted to have recently been able to help the McIntosh family from Derbyshire purchase a new vehicle that will dramatically reduce the stress they face when embarking on the long journey to Sheffield Children’s Hospital with their sick twins Chester and Rhianna, aged just 14 months.

Just over a year ago the lives of Ian and Lisa McIntosh were dealt a hammer below when their twin babies, Chester and Rhianna, were born 10 weeks premature and with an array of health issues meaning that regular visits to the hospital were to become part of the family’s daily routine. The babies’ health issues are such that Chester requires oxygen to be taken with him wherever he goes meaning that he requires nasal canulars and also has a gastrostomony tube that he tends to pull out if left unsupervised. Both babies have been diagnosed with Hirchsprung’s disease and while Rhianna is at least 50% deaf in both ears, poor little Chester has nearly no hearing at all.

The family came to the CPBF citing the problems they had on the long journey’s to Sheffield Children’s Hospital due to the unsuitable car they owned at the time. Ian pointed out that there simply wasn’t enough room to pack all the children’s belongings including the medical equipment needed to keep them stable. Ian also stated that due to Chester’s nasal canulars and gastrostomony tube either he or Lisa had to sit in the back to supervise him at all times, this proved to be difficult due to the lack of space. From the day the twins were born both Ian and Lisa were forced to give up their work as carers to look after them full time putting a financial strain on the family.

Having taken everything in to consideration the CPBF decided that the family deserved a helping hand and were more than happy to support them in order to make their lives a little more manageable. The charity that supports care professionals in times of crisis was able to offer a grant that went towards purchasing a more suitable vehicle for the McIntosh’s, relieving some of the stress they incur on a daily basis.