Sittingbourne twins cut the ribbon for new family room at Medway Maritime Hospital
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Twins who beat cancer have opened a new room at Medway Maritime Hospital specially designed for young oncology patients and their families after their parents raised thousands of pounds.
Six-year-old Austin and Edward Gasson, from Tonge, near Sittingbourne, received regular chemotherapy sessions in the hospital after developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Austin was diagnosed with the diagnosis in 2017 and his brother Edward said he had the same type of blood cancer a year later.
Twins Austin and Edward, six, with mom Sian, 35, dad Tom, 42, and brother Jacob, 14, in the hospital’s new family room Picture: Medway NHS Foundation Trust
The two boys had to be locked in isolation rooms and could not use the ward’s playroom because their immune systems were weakened from the treatment.
Her parents Sian Milne, 35, and Tom Gasson, 42, came up with the idea of setting up an oncology family room because they wanted to enable their sons and other young cancer patients to live as normal as possible in the hospital.
Sian from Tonge said: “Facilities for children with cancer are very limited due to the risk of contamination in communal playrooms. Therefore, as a family, we have decided to do our best to turn a particularly negative and unimaginable situation into a positive development.
“We formed the Edward and Austin Play (#EandAPlay) Facebook group four months after Edward’s treatment to raise funds for the space and raise awareness of helping children and families living with childhood cancer less than £ 18,000 .
“With this money, the former pre-examination room has now been converted into an oncology family room so that children who have to isolate due to their illness have a safe place where they can play with toys, watch a movie or even eat with them.” Family when they visit instead of all huddling around a hospital bed.
Left, the couple helping cut the tape of the new facilities Image: Medway NHS Foundation Trust
“We also bought a chemotherapy chair that will be available in the new year. Once the staff has been installed and trained, young patients can receive extended chemotherapy infusions without having to travel to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. “
Austin finished his treatment last December while Edward finished his in July. The twins, 2nd grade students at Bapchild and Tonge Elementary School, cut the ribbon last Friday in the new facilities of the hospital’s Dolphin Station.
The space aims to welcome children and their families with a cozy home environment. It includes toys and game consoles, a TV, a dining table, a kitchenette, a microwave, a fridge-freezer, storage space, a couch and long-life groceries. The family wanted to thank the hospital for taking good care of their children, as this was not the first time that Medway Maritime Hospital helped save the lives of the boys.
A scan at 21 weeks showed that Sian was at high risk of losing her twins. After bed rest and surgery, Austin and Edward were born at 34 weeks of age and were cared for by the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Unit.
Mama Sian said, “We always knew we wanted to give something back to the hospital in some way because we wouldn’t have our babies without the wonderful staff that work there.”
CEO Dr. George Findlay said, “It must be incredibly difficult to put a child, let alone two, on cancer treatment at such a young age, and I admire Sian and her family for finding the strength and courage, possibly very emotional Changing situation and troubling time to turn positive. “
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https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/news/twins-open-special-oncology-room-258863/