Mother knows best: Queen Mary's Hospital for Children receives generous donation

A local mother has raised almost £2,000 as a way of saying ‘thank you’ to staff at Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children for the excellent care given to her young daughter.

Kayleigh Steptoe, who lives with her family in Carshalton, has been working hard to raise money since her two-and-a-half year old daughter Bella was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes earlier this year. She said: “It was a shock and quite upsetting for us as a family when we found out my youngest, Bella, has Type 1 diabetes. The staff at the hospital have been brilliant, not only taking great care of Bella, but offering us lots of time and support.

“The staff on the Children’s Ward made Bella’s stay as comfortable as possible, and the diabetic team were amazing too. I am so grateful for the care they have given Bella and really wanted to help them and say thank you in some way.

“I decided to set up some fundraising events for the Children’s Ward at Queen Mary’s and the charity Diabetes UK, which does really important work for people with diabetes, including young children like my daughter”, explained Kayleigh.

Kayleigh organised a number of different events in her local community, including a special wear yellow day at Rushy Meadow Primary School and a fun day at Morden Brook. “We got lots of support from friends, family and other local people, which was fantastic. Our fun day included a bouncy castle, cake sale, danceathon, and even the chance to meet Olaf from Frozen! In total, we have raised £1,965 so far, which we have split between the hospital and Diabetes UK.

“I am really proud of what we have achieved, and want to thank everybody who showed their support by taking part in our events”, said Kayleigh.

The money for Queen Mary’s has already been earmarked for a number of projects on the Children’s Ward, including making the treatment room more child-friendly. Sara Smith, Play Specialist at Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, explained: “We plan to use some of the money to buy wall stickers for our treatment room, to make it more fun and give it a bit of a refresh. Kayleigh and Bella also donated a whole range of small toys and sweet treats, which we will be offering as prizes in our Christmas raffle to help us raise even more money for our ward.”

Lorna Bramwells, Head of Nursing for Paediatrics and Neonates, said: “On behalf of all the team at Queen Mary’s, I’d like to say thank you to Kayleigh and Bella for their kindness and generous donation. We are so grateful for all the effort they have gone to, and to everyone who got involved”.