Freya’s Story

My name is Freya, and I am a CLIC Sargent Paediatric Oncology Social Worker.  

My role is to offer practical and emotional support to families where a child has been diagnosed with cancer. Hearing the news that your child has been diagnosed with cancer is devastating for any family, and having to face this during a global pandemic is extremely challenging and stressful for the families we work with and support.  

During this unprecedented time, I have been providing regular emotional support to parents and carers, to try and ease some of their anxieties and worries associated with their child’s illness – these feelings are amplified further due to their child being so immunocompromised and therefore at high risk of developing any infections; including Coronavirus.  

We would usually provide this support face to face with families and young people, but because the families we help are so vulnerable, we’ve moved to supporting families over the phone and online through platforms like Zoom. Keeping in touch with our families is vital – it helps reduce their anxiety, their isolation, and helps us to keep up their mental resilience. 

Families are also experiencing increased financial pressures during the pandemic. One parent often has to stop working in order to care for their child. That has been compounded by furlough or job loss due to Covid. I have been providing a lot of employment support and advocating on behalf of parents.   

Any money you raise will help us to continue our vital work in the North-West, supporting children with cancer and their families, during what is already the most difficult time of their lives.  

Thank you for your support – it is greatly appreciated by CLIC Sargent and all the families we support locally! 

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