The Harry Matthews Bowel Transplant Trust has been set up primarily to support children who are listed for...
Any donation, however small, may enable a family member to visit their child in hospital or help towards food and living...
If we can alleviate the financial burden caused by frequent admissions to specialist units, this can...
For more information on the medical facts concerning small bowel transplantation and the options available...
The Harry Matthews Bowel Transplant Trust is a small charity committed to improving the lives of bowel transplant recipients and their families.
The charity supports children who are listed for small bowel transplantation and their families by providing a hardship fund to alleviate some of the financial burden caused to families by frequent admissions to specialist units pre and post transplantation surgery.
Bowel transplantation is a highly specialised operation for life threatening complications of intestinal failure.
Children with various, rare conditions which may eventually require intestinal transplantation are seen by many specialist teams during many inpatient stays and outpatient visits to hospital; Gastroenterologists, Hepatologists, Nephrologists, Radiologists, Physiotherapists, Dieticians, Psychologists, Play Specialists and many more.
These long stays in and frequent follow-ups to hospital (sometimes for many months at a time, a long way from home and separated from other family members) can put tremendous emotional, practical and financial pressures on families.
The high cost of living, particularly in London and the suspension of key benefits when a child is an inpatient causes enormous emotional and financial strain at a time when parents are already trying to cope under exceptionally difficult circumstances.
This situation is made even more difficult when a patient is over 16, as their benefits cease quickly. We believe that if we can ease some of the financial pressures that long stays in hospitals can create, we are providing some practical assistance and easing some of the families’ stress.
We aim to provide families a much needed life-line during one of the most stressful times of their lives.
