Throughout my life, I’ve had a very strong desire to help others and work to make the world a better place. Consequently, during my job hunt, I’ve been drawn towards the charity sector, and I’ve had the lovely opportunity to learn a great deal about a variety of charities. I decided that one good avenue for this site to take would be to discuss some of the charities I’ve found, especially those that could do with more attention.
Read more: Charity Overview: REACTThis first organisation is one close to my own heart. It specialises in providing support, care, and dignity to children with life-shortening illnesses and conditions. REACT focuses particularly on low-income children and families, as these are the types of families least likely to be able to afford the equipment that goes into caring for someone with a terminal condition. What stands out especially for me is how they “eliminate red tape and bureaucracy” – they make it an essential priority to get care to children within hours or days.
REACT observes on their website that “when a child’s life is short, an immediate response is vital.” Although I don’t have a life-threatening or terminal condition, I can relate to this; I have CHARGE Syndrome, which is a rare condition which comes with a variety of symptoms and complications, all of which have drastically impacted my life in one way or another. I often needed a lot of support, and there were definitely times in my childhood where getting me that support was a matter of life-or-death urgency. Most memorably, I was born with a cleft palate; when I was six months old, I swallowed my tongue. I was (thankfully) resuscitated and had an operation to stitch my cleft palate up. But throughout my childhood, the doctors were aware that my mouth would outgrow the original stitches. Eventually, when I was around 9, we made a trip home from Central Africa, where my parents were working, so I could have a second operation to prevent the cleft palate from reopening. Trips to the hospital every couple of weeks can be very exhausting and draining as a child – not only did it mean I missed out on school, but it also meant that my parents and I were constantly wondering what the next thing to go wrong would be. That in turn makes it difficult to enjoy each day as it comes.
What really strikes me is how successful REACT has been – it’s responded to over 15,000 requests for assistance since its foundation. There’s a special section of the website dedicated to stories of children that REACT has helped in the past. Each of these children has rare, difficult-to-manage conditions which drastically reduce their ability to lead a normal life. And yet, the common theme of each of these stories is that the children are happy, able to lead relatively-normal lives, thanks to the support provided by REACT, and their parents have hope for the future. I know what it’s like to not be able to live a normal life. Even though I’ve been comparatively fortunate, it’s still difficult for me, emotionally and logistically, to operate in day-to-day society. But REACT has helped to carry that burden, for over fifteen thousand families. What an amazing thing to achieve! And how fortunate these children are, to have such support.
REACT has a wide variety of opportunities to support them and their work, from volunteer work, to fundraising for the charity through runs and treks. I think this is an amazing thing to support – so I invite you to play your part, whether that’s through donations or through volunteer work or fundraising. The website, for those who are interested, is https://reactcharity.org/ – fundraising initiatives and volunteering can be found in the “Get Involved” tab.
Until next time and have a lovely weekend!
-Robert
Robert Murrell 