TESTIMONIALS

Mum wrote explaining, ‘I have 2 children with CF. It has made a significant impact on their lives with recurring chest infections, frequent hospital visits and continuous everyday physio. Child 1 started life in hospital for a month. Child 2 has had weight issues, and when they are struck down with an illness, we find it hard to get out the house. Obviously then both having CF is a risk and usually do get poorly together.

We have extended family with CF, so we are isolated from them and social events are minimal. My family do support me but much of their treatment is down to me. This holiday will give us a chance to be free of an environment where cold weather effects their CF. It will mark the end of a really rough time since Child 2 was born. Child 1 always talks about going on an aeroplane as if it is a dream of hers. A holiday will give us and our children memories to cherish and can be talked about when things become difficult.

Whilst both my children have been free of CF related hospital admissions this past year we have battled constant chest infections and continuous antibiotics and more physio daily. A “winter” holiday would re-energise us all and give us something to look forward to and remember all our lives.

Firstly, I want to say an absolutely huge thank you to the CF Holiday Fund, in fact I don’t think thank you is even enough! What an absolutely fantastic charity – you made my family’s year. You were outstanding.

The holiday benefitted them both in many ways; physically – because although we still had to do physio treatments and medicines (which were thoughtfully all included in hand luggage), we were constantly on the move both on the resort and out exploring Tenerife and the big cities. The swimming pool got a lot of use from them – the toddler pool was a favourite as it was the perfect depth for them to comfortably touch the bottom with us nearby so they had a blast in there! They also enjoyed the little playground in the resort. We spent some time on the beach in Playa de las Americas where they built sandcastles and paddled in the sea, playing with other small children who were also on holiday.

We would say the holiday benefitted them emotionally because they were so excited and happy so much of the time – the only time they weren’t was when they were asleep! The holiday was a great mixture of physical fun and exploring, and relaxing downtime.

Myself (Mum) and my partner (Dad) really enjoyed the holiday – seeing our two children thrive together and really enjoy themselves in everything we did was incredible. We thought the holiday came at the perfect time for us, after a tough winter of CF-related health issues for the children it was such a relief to get away to a warm, exciting country. We also felt very safe whilst there and found it very easy to navigate between the big towns. It also made us realise we can still do normal family things and enjoy the children even though they have CF, we realised we will not let their CF define them. It was a fabulous time for us to let go of home life for a while and just soak up our wonderful children and the awesome different environment we were in! So thank you!

The holiday helped prepare the children, and us for the year ahead as it kind of wrapped up our winter season, and marked the end of a period of chest infections, weight loss, viruses and nasty bugs. We all came back feeling happy and refreshed. It helped us to realise once again that there is more to our lives than cystic fibrosis, and that treatments, physio and meds do not have to be a negative thing. It also means if we do come to going on a holiday in future, the children know what it’s all about and will give us something great to look forward to.

We have fond memories of our time in Tenerife, the children’s joy and excitement through much of our time there will remain a lovely memory to cherish. Despite Child 1 only being 2 and a half at the time, she still talks about the swimming pool and the beach, and a particular restaurant we ate in (Charlie’s) asking “when can we go back to the pink place?”!

All in all the resort was lovely, the other holiday-goers loved the children, the food was yummy, the staff were more than helpful, and we felt safe. Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity for our family, we will never forget it, the memories will stay firmly in our hearts!’

‘Thank you so much for booking, organising and paying for our dream Holiday to Tenerife this summer! We had such an amazing time, and it was a true blessing to us, after the ordeal we have faced over the last year!

We had such an incredible time and didn’t want to leave. The apartment was fabulous and clean. The Staff were all lovely, and very accommodating, and there was loads for us and the kids to do in and around the complex.

Travelling with medicines and medical equipment for the first time by plane was daunting but in reality was actually pretty hassle free. Also people abroad were open minded about us doing nebulisers in public. These factors have given us more confidence about travelling whether it be within the country or further afield.

We found out 11 months ago that our son had CF when he had nasal polyps removed aged seven. A month later we found out our daughter aged nine also had CF. There was no time to really take this shocking news in because we had numerous hospital appointments and new medical procedures and physio routines to do with the children, as well as juggling all our other responsibilities.
The children’s resilience has been unbelievable and they have coped so well in such a short time with the news of their condition. It is their amazing strength and character that keeps us going as parents.

It has been a difficult year for our family but Thanks to you we now have amazing memories from this year as well. We want to say a massive Thank you for the wonderful Dream Holiday, you will never know how much this has meant for us and our family!’

’To all the team at IDILIQ who made this trip possible, we truly can´t thank you enough for everything you´ve done to make 2018 the best group trip yet! We´re overwhelmed by your generosity. From the welcome party that was so fantastic nobody wanted to leave, to the kindness shown by staff every day, our families have been spoilt and made to feel like VIPs. We hope you’ve enjoyed meeting our group trip families as you´ve touched their lives and they will always treasure the memory of their time at Regal Oaks.’

Siobhan, Dreams Come True

‘We had a fantastic week away at Wyndham Grand Costa del Sol and are very grateful for the opportunity this holiday gave us as a family.

The impact a holiday has for our family is like therapy. I call it a break from CF. Although (Child with CF) still has to do treatment and take tablets whilst on holiday, we are not rushing around like on school days and with everything else we have to do like work, shopping, cooking, cleaning, hobbies etc.

The warm weather seems to suit (Child with CF) especially when she has a cough or cold and we often find it helps clear the symptoms. (Child with CF) was a bit unwell before we left the UK and a week away in the sun and relaxing more did help clear her cough. I also think extra sleep helps (Child with CF) as she has to get up at 6.30am every day before school to do all her treatments before starting school at 8.30am. Having a lie in/extra sleep definitely helped.
We do not know what the next year will be like for (Child with CF), however, having this holiday just before the winter season has given (Child with CF) the boost she needed physically and mentally ready to fight the winter bugs away and provided us with a positive outlook for the coming year.

Creating memories from days out or holidays is what we like to do as a family where possible. We try to capture these memories in photos or video and often look back with (Child with CF) to remind (Child with CF) of the good times we have shared. This holiday provided us with another memory to treasure and look back on and we are very grateful to the charity for this.’

Dad

’Thank you so much for giving us the most amazing place to stay! You have given our family a memory they will never forget. A BIG thank you for Sonny´s birthday surprise, he loved it!’

The Bedwells

’My 10 year old son has cystic fibrosis and was diagnosed at the very young age of two weeks.

Since then (Child with CF) has known nothing else other than hospital visits, lots of medication, illnesses, blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, and more than anything a sense of being different and a deep frustration at having this condition and the ultimate question of ‘why me?’. He has 3 siblings and none of them suffer with the condition and as such [my son] has always felt the odd one out and a real sense of unfairness to the restrictions and consideration he has to make to his health and the amount of medication he has to take.

Therefore when the holiday was offered the pure delight I had in telling my son, that due to this terrible condition that not only was he going to be able to go away for a week in the sun but it was for all of the family too, [my son] was beside himself with joy. Nothing good in his eyes has ever come from him having this condition, quite the opposite, and so he suddenly for once felt a relief and a sense of pride that he was in a position to tell his family about the holiday and it brought him great joy. The benefits mentally have been profound and the physical well being he has felt through some added Vitamin D from the sun and warm sea air for his lungs is a by-product to the mental well-being for him.

With us heading into the winter months then the holiday helped prepare us all for a tough winter and the times ahead as it can generally be a period in time of high illness with the various coughs, colds and virus that inevitably come. We’ve had a chance to re-charge our batteries and have some down time, this has had a profound effect on me and left me with happy memories and delightful pictures for us to reminisce about and look back on when and if he has some spells in hospital to remember the good times.’

I just wanted to get in touch to pass on an enormous thank you from the (Sick Child’s family) for the wonderful time they had staying at Encantada. The family were so grateful to be staying at such a beautiful location and for just how friendly and supportive the staff were towards them.

’Everything was just incredible and so much more than any of us could have imagined. It all went very smoothly and the villa was wonderful, just exactly right for relaxing in. I loved the hot tub, it’s luxury!!!!’

‘We are incredibly grateful for your continued support in providing our vulnerable families with such positive experiences to look forward to each year. The impact of your generosity cannot be overstated, as many of these families would otherwise never have the opportunity to go on holiday in their lifetime.’