Help provide presents for children in hospital in Bristol this Christmas

It’s fair to say that no one wants to be in hospital over the festive period.

But for many children they have no choice – if they are injured or sick, then they, and their families, will have to celebrate Christmas in hospital.

And one Mum knows all too well what it is like to have a child in hospital over Christmas.

Rachel Emmett, 36, is mum to fouryear-old Gideon, who underwent pioneering surgery at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and is calling for donations of toys and gifts for sick children and their families.

Rachel and her husband are from Longfield in Kent, a 150-mile journey, and with nowhere to stay near the hospital, were provided with free accommodation at Ronald McDonald House Bristol in Royal Fort Road while Gideon was in hospital for four months in 2019.

They had previously stayed at Ronald McDonald House Evelina London for 15 months while Gideon was in hospital in London.

Gideon was born with a condition called long-gap oesophageal atresia, which meant there was a very large gap in his oesophagus (food pipe) so that he could not swallow or eat.

The team at Bristol Royal Hosptial for Children helped repair Gideon’s oesophagus by using a section of Gideon’s small intestine to bridge the gap in an 11-hour surgery.

Rachel says: “I remember heating up Christmas dinner in a hospital microwave on Gideon’s first Christmas, as well as the sadness at disrupted plans during the festive season when Gideon had an unexpected hospital admission.

“For children especially it should be the happiest time of year. Because of this, and having experienced a hospital Christmas ourselves, we wanted to give back and help brighten up Christmas for some of the children and families who are poorly and will need medical support this festive season.”

Rachel has created an Amazon Gift List so that people can send new toys and gifts direct to Ronald McDonald House Bristol for the children and their parents.

The team at the house will then wrap the gifts and distribute them to the families staying there.

Rachel added: “We will forever be grateful to Ronald McDonald House for the support and accommodation they provided us with while Gideon was in hospital and we were far from home.

“Thank you to anyone who donates a gift for the children and their families for whom I know it will mean so much.”

Link to Amazon Gift list: http://bit.ly/ HospitalXmas2022 (when ordering make sure to change your address to the Gift registry address not your default address so items are delivered direct to Ronald McDonald House Bristol).