The family centre for children with cancer offers relatives a place to stay while their little ones are being treated at Giessen University Children's Hospital.Stadtwerke Giessen is supporting this important commitment to affected families with a donation of 5,000 euros.
For over 30 years, the Family Centre for Children with Cancer Giessen has been offering parents and siblings the opportunity to be close to their loved ones during the often stressful treatment in the oncology ward of Giessen University Children's Hospital, to support them, encourage them and thus increase the chance of recovery. The centre has already been a temporary home for more than 2,500 families, providing important support in the fight against cancer. Two special features of the family centre for children with cancer: its success is based on the voluntary commitment of the association members and it is mainly financed by donations.
"We are happy to support such an important and energetic effort for a really good cause," explains Ina Weller, company spokesperson for Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG), at the donation presentation on 12 January 2017. Last year, SWG once again decided not to give Christmas presents to business partners. They donated the money saved in this way to charitable organisations in the region. In this specific case, this means that the Family Centre for Children with Cancer Giessen e. V. received 5,000 euros for its work from SWG.
Help in difficult times
The fight against cancer demands unimaginable things not only from the sick children, but also from their relatives. "The family centre makes their already extremely difficult situation easier, especially for those parents who come from further afield and have their children treated here in Giessen - simply because there is no more time-consuming commuting," says Beate Steinmüller, the centre's full-time manager. The family centre fulfils four important tasks at once: Mums and dads can get to their sick child quickly - the centre is only a few minutes' walk from the clinic. The centre also provides parents with the private space they need to retreat, find some peace and quiet and get away from it all. The people working at the centre are always open to the families staying here. In addition, the family centre is often the first stop on the way home for the sick child, if the therapy allows it.
Last but not least, those responsible at the family centre have also thought about siblings. They can play here - even together with their sick sisters and brothers - and thus escape from everyday life, at least for a while. The family centre offers a fully equipped playroom and a child-friendly outdoor area with a sandpit, spring animals to swing on and a play tower with a climbing wall and slide. SWG was also involved in the latter: They already supported the construction of the play equipment as part of the "75 good deeds" around three years ago.