Send White Fox Talking a Message

A three-year-old is diagnosed with a brain tumour and loses his sight, a family’s world tilts, and somehow the ward becomes a place where breakfast can be unicorn toast and music therapy softens the edges. We sit with Natalie from Candlelighters and Amy, mum to Noah, to unpack what true wraparound support looks like when a child is diagnosed with cancer—and why it changes everything.

From the first hours after diagnosis, Candlelighters meets families where the system can’t. We talk through immediate grants that cover the sudden spike in costs—travel to Leeds, parking, meals, clothes that work with lines and dressings—so parents can stay bedside without financial panic. Natalie explains how the team brings play, colour, and calm into clinical spaces; funds roles like youth support workers and counsellors; and creates safe havens such as the Pavilion and the Square to restore a sense of normal. Amy shares the whirlwind of Noah’s treatment on Ward 31, the grief of first milestones after therapy, and the quiet power of a voice her son could trust when he could no longer see faces.

We also explore what happens after the bell rings. Talking therapies help parents and young people process trauma on their timeline, while mums’ and dads’ groups, sibling sessions, and family events build a peer community that understands without explanation. The Cottage keeps families together when distance would split them. Volunteers and donors fuel it all—local companies, football fans, and everyday fundraisers turning empathy into guitars at the bedside, breakfast that a child will actually eat, and a place to breathe between scans.

If this episode moved you, help us spread the word: subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who cares about children’s health and family wellbeing. Want to make an impact today? Visit Candlelighters to donate, volunteer, or start a fundraiser—and tell us how you plan to get involved.

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