Facing childhood cancer can be a devastating experience and the impact may last for many years after treatment ends.  Every family’s experience and needs are unique and we are working with Cheshire families and schools to provide support that is tailored to their needs.

One of our parents Graham Harvey recently ran the Chester Marathon and raised £600 in sponsorship for us - funding 20 family support sessions at The Joshua Tree.  He comments: "When we were given the amazing news that Sam was cancer free for a second time, we thought that life would return to the way it had been before diagnosis. We couldn't have been more wrong. In fact we needed more support post treatment than we did during his illness. The Joshua Tree helped Sam and the rest of the family with the challenging return to our new 'normal'.”

Some of the areas where we can offer support include:

• Emotional Support including 1-2-1 support, play therapy and support groups or just someone to talk to.
• Practical Support and signposting to sources of information, assistance and advice.
• Supporting the child and their family in achieving the best academic, social and emotional outcomes both in and out of the school environment.  This includes liaison with schools to ensure that staff receive information on how best to support a child with cancer or leukaemia.

The Joshua Tree currently supports around 40 families affected by childhood cancer in Cheshire. The support we offer to the families not only includes the child undergoing treatment but their siblings, parents, grandparents and teachers.