Plymouth Healthcare Assistant’s proud daughter donating pocket money to help ‘poorly people’
A six-year-old girl from Plymouth is donating her pocket money and doing a sponsored silence to raise money for the charity her mum works for.
Ella Moore is the daughter of Jessica Moore, a Maire Curie Senior Healthcare Assistant who is providing frontline care for dying people in their homes throughout the Coronavirus crisis.
Jess said: “My daughter is forever proud to support Marie Curie, she wears her daffodil badge everywhere and tells everyone ‘my mummy works for Marie Curie’. She wants to donate her pocket money that she earns during this time off to ‘help all the poorly people’.
“She’s delighted to have raised £64 so far, she is doing lots of chores at home to raise extra money and is setting up her own sponsored silence too. Anyone who knows Ella knows she is a chatterbox and just doesn’t stop talking so this is a massive challenge for her.
“Ella is only six, but she understands about Coronavirus and asks after every shift, ‘mummy have you washed your hands, have you stayed safe and are all your patients okay!’. It’s so sweet. She really is one in a million.”
Jess is a member of Plymouth’s award-winning End of Life Urgent Care Team, a service provided in partnership by Marie Curie and St Luke’s Hospice, caring for terminally ill patients in their homes in Plymouth, West Devon and East Cornwall.
Speaking about working during the Coronavirus crisis, Jess said: “It’s a worrying time for us all, we’re under a lot of pressure right now but we’re working hard as a team and keeping our spirits up.
“Earlier this year I bumped into the wife of a patient we had looked after. She instantly remembered me and burst into tears. She said she would never forget the support and care I gave her and her husband. She said she will always remember Marie Curie because of me! I was and still am so proud to be a part of Marie Curie.
“It’s times like these that make it all worthwhile.”
Jess’ team, along with Marie Curie teams all over the UK, are working harder than ever providing essential end of life care in the community, keeping critical care beds free for Coronavirus patients, easing pressure on hospitals and the whole NHS system.
However, while demand for Marie Curie services is rising, the charity has been hit by a devastating fundraising crisis and urgently needs to raise money to fund its vital work.
Natalie Garland, Marie Curie South West Fundraising Manager, said: “Last year our teams provided 175,000 hours of direct care for over 3000 people in the South West, allowing them to die at home where they wanted to be.
“When the NHS and public need us most, we are facing huge struggles raising vital funds. Along with the cancellation of hundreds of high street and supermarket collections, we’re losing income from the closure of our charity shops and from cancelled fundraising events such as the Padstow to Rock Swim - which raised over £80,000 for us last year. Thank you to everyone who has already donated to our emergency appeal, it is making a difference but we need to keep up the momentum.”
- Donate online at: mariecurie.org.uk/emergency
- Text NURSE to 70633 to help us reach the families who need us. Texts cost £5 plus 1 standard rate message. 98% is received by Marie Curie. To unsub text OUT to 78866. Thank you.
The free Marie Curie Support Line service is open 7 days a week: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. If you, or someone you know, is affected by a terminal illness and concerned about Coronavirus, the Marie Curie Support Line team are ready to help with practical information and emotional support you need when you need it. Call free 0800 090 2309.* You can also find more information on the website: mariecurie.org.uk/coronavirus
