‘Our little superhero’: A six-year-old Sutton Coldfield boy inspiring fundraising for a local children’s hospice
A six-year-old boy living with a rare and severe heart condition is helping to inspire Acorns Children’s Hospice’s first-ever Be a Kid Week.
For Sam, childhood hasn’t been shaped by playgrounds and ball games but by hospital stays, major surgeries and constant uncertainty.
Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, doctors told Sam’s family there was ‘no other child like him’, as children with similar conditions rarely survive beyond their first week.
Sam has undergone three open-heart surgeries, multiple cardiac procedures and continues to experience severe fatigue, mental health struggles, regulating his temperature and a weakened immune system.
His health can change rapidly, meaning birthdays, Christmas and holidays often have to be planned at the last minute. But Sam refuses to let his condition define his childhood.
His dad, Matt, calls him ‘our little superhero’: “When he’s not in the hospital, he’s fun and cheeky. He’s like a normal six-year-old who loves his superheroes and Lego. Captain America seems to be a recurring character for him during play, but when he’s in the hospital, we pretend it’s Iron Man giving him a super-suit.
“He wants to be out there running, playing football, and joining in with his brother, he’s just very limited. But, for what he goes through, the courage he shows, and his strength, he is definitely our little superhero”.
At Acorns Children’s Hospice in Walsall, Sam can enjoy the sensory room and play therapy, while the support the hospice provides gives his family precious time and space to focus on being a family alongside the medical challenges they face.
That support extends to the whole family. Sam’s older brother, Noah, has benefited from sibling support at Acorns, giving him time away from the focus on medical care – including a surprise VIP trip to Walsall Football Club. For the family, it has helped make sure Noah does not feel lost in the shadow of his brother’s illness.
Now, Sam’s story is helping Acorns show why childhood matters, even when a child’s life is dominated by medical care.
Be a Kid Week, running from 5 to 11 October, is asking grown-ups to put aside the everyday and rediscover the things they loved as children, from dressing up and playground games to nostalgic food, puzzles and silly challenges, all while raising money to help seriously ill children have more opportunities to play, laugh, explore and make memories.
Every pound raised can help Acorns give families like Sam’s more time for what matters most: making memories together.
Uzma Shaheen, Senior Community Partnerships Manager at Acorns Children’s Hospice, said: “Sam reminds us that, whatever challenges a child faces, they are still a child first. They deserve time to play, laugh, explore and make memories with the people they love.
“That’s what Be a Kid Week is all about. We’re asking grown-ups to embrace their inner child and have some fun, so that children like Sam can have more precious moments of childhood and make forever memories with their families.”
For Sam’s family, living with so much uncertainty has taught them to focus on the present and make the most of the time they have together – filling it with fun, laughter, joy and togetherness.
Getting involved in Acorns Be a Kid Week is deliberately simple. Supporters can download a free fundraising pack and choose how they want to get involved. There is no minimum fundraising target and Acorns free guide is packed with ideas and practical support to help people get started.
Be a Kid Week is the biggest opportunity for supporters to contribute to Acorns Time Machine campaign, the charity’s £5 million fundraising campaign to help give seriously-ill children more time to be kids. Powered by donations, it helps families make the most of the time they have together.
Uzma added: “Families at Acorns deserve the chance to be just that – families! Through Acorns Time Machine, we give families time for the important stuff while we take care of the serious stuff.
“Every donation allows a child to be more than a patient. They can be a rocket ship captain, a fairy princess, a treasure hunter, a space wizard. And, just as importantly, it gives parents a chance to be simply mum and dad and enjoy childhood adventures together as a family.”
Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for babies, children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, and support for their families.
In the past year, Acorns cared for more than 800 children across the West Midlands and supported more than 1,100 families, including those who are bereaved. This care and support is provided from Acorns three hospices in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester, as well as in family homes and local communities.
Acorns needs around £40,000 every day to provide its vital children’s hospice care, with over 75% of that amount coming from donations, fundraising and income from its charity shops.
Sign up for Acorns Be a Kid Week now and receive your free fundraising guide www.acorns.org.uk/BAKW.