Sidney

In 2019, five-year-old Sidney was diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer at Addenbrooke’s.

The first few months were very difficult. His mother, Francesca, a single parent of two, was unemployed at the time and initially received no financial support from the government.

The entire family made three-hour round trips for each of Sidney’s hospital appointments. They were reliant on help from an extended family member who gave them a lift in their car (though loved ones eventually bought Francesca her own vehicle).

As the treatment progressed, the family became eligible for financial support from charities and, later, from the government. At this point, Francesca was spending over £200 a month on fuel, just to get Sidney to his treatments at Addenbrooke’s.

Sidney was eventually referred for proton beam therapy, which required a four- hour journey from Suffolk to Manchester by car, and a six-hour journey by train.

During our pilot project, when we met the family, Sidney needed to get to Manchester on two separate occasions. We were delighted to be able to fly him there and back on the first of these occasions – one outbound and one return journey, just 45 minutes each way.

Francesca recalls the experience:

‘It was something exciting at a time when there wasn’t much to be excited about. It was brilliant. The impact of going to Manchester was hugely reduced, because I didn't have to worry about Sidney getting sick, or the length or cost of the journey. And I trusted [Please Take Me There] completely. I was much less stressed and I could cope with everything better. Also, Sidney got to experience something fun at a really horrible period of his life.’

A few months after our pilot project ended, Sidney returned to Manchester for his second visit. Francesca had no choice at the time but to take him on public transport.

During the six-hour journey, he became unwell and developed a high temperature. As soon as they arrived at the train station in Manchester, Sidney was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.