Totum Foundation has committed to long-term partnerships with three charities that closely align with our purpose, values and goals – Support SEND Kids, CPRE The Countryside Charity and Alfie’s Wish.
In this piece, we speak to Alfie’s Wish founder Charlotte Butler about the support the charity offers to children dealing with cancer, the importance of making memories, and how individuals and businesses can support charities.
“Alfie was nine months old when he started to become really poorly. It started with him throwing up – we knew something wasn’t right so we took him to the doctor,” says Butler, recounting the moment she realised her youngest son was ill.
“At first, they said he had an ear infection. So, we took him home but he didn’t improve. This went on for about three weeks, until one day he went completely downhill and was rushed into Southampton General Hospital, where we were told the devastating news that he had a brain tumour. He was only a baby.
“He had surgery, which we were told he would be lucky to survive. Thankfully, they removed the tumour, but because of his prognosis and the type of cancer it was, there was a good chance it would reoccur.
“Over a five year period, Alfie had several relapses resulting in long stays in hospital for surgery, chemotherapy and Proton Beam Therapy in the US. As a family, we tried to make as many memories as possible. We didn’t know what the future would hold, so we had a motto of ‘don’t count the days, make the days count’,” she says.
Thanks to the help of charities and family and friends, the Butler’s were able to take Alfie on trips to Disney World, Lapland and his favourite, Peppa Pig World.
“Alfie was the biggest Peppa Pig fan,” smiles Butler. “Thankfully, we didn’t live too far away and he never got bored of seeing Peppa Pig. It was the last place we ever took him. The last time we went there, we had a personal meet and greet with Peppa Pig. Alfie said it was the best day ever – that was really amazing,” she says.
Sadly, on Jan 2nd 2020, Alfie passed away at home. It had been four years and 11 months since his cancer diagnosis.
“After Alfie passed away, we wanted to do something positive to help other people. That’s why myself and my husband James set up Alfie’s Wish. We’d had such support over the years that we felt it would be a shame to not do anything with that – we wanted to help other people like us,” says Butler.
Supporting families
During Alfie’s battle with cancer, the Butlers had created a Facebook page to update family on his progress. As the months passed, more and more people began following the page, including celebrities wishing him luck. It was this following that the Butlers wanted to harness for Alfie’s Wish.
Set up during lockdown in 2020, Alfie’s Wish helps children aged 0-16 who have a cancer diagnosis by providing them with a day out to a destination or experience with their family.
The charity works closely with hospitals in England and Wales. When a child has been diagnosed with cancer, they and their family are assigned a social worker who will have information on charities that can help them, such as Alfie’s Wish. These social workers can then work with families to find out where they’d like to go, before filling out an application to the charity.
“We’ve sent families all over the place,” says Butler. “At Christmas, everyone wants to go to Lapland. I wish we had an endless bucket of tickets for Lapland as it does cost a fortune, but we always try and send a couple of families there each year.”
“We have people who want to do experiences – one girl wanted to learn snowboarding. We took her to a snowdome and gave her six lessons. We’ve had people see Harry Styles, meet Harry Kane – it varies,” she adds.
Often, families of children with cancer diagnoses don’t want to travel too far from the hospital where they’re getting treatment. The child might get a spike in temperature, or need a blood transfusion. As a family who have been through a similar experience, Butler and Alfie’s Wish understand what families are going through and can tailor their support to individual needs.
How businesses can help
Butler transitioned into working full time for the charity earlier this year, alongside six voluntary trustees who support her. As visibility of the charity has grown, applications from families have increased and so has its fundraising needs. This is where support from partners can help.
“Our main focus is getting as much money as possible to help families. We want to keep up with the demand of families, so with charity partners, it’s a great opportunity to spread awareness of what we do,” she says.
Alongside fundraising, corporates can also help the charity with pro-bono work or providing skills and expertise that they might not have easy access to.
“I’m currently the only full-time employee, but we might get to a stage where we want to recruit a trustee and we’d need help. With Totum being a recruitment company, we might look to tap their expertise in the future,” says Butler.
Ultimately, Alfie’s Wish is all about helping families under huge pressure make lasting memories. A cancer diagnosis brings medical and emotional worries, so making the space for a day out or experience often isn’t something parents have the space to think about.
“We’re just a mum and dad trying to do what we can. With a cancer diagnosis, you don’t know what the future holds and just putting a roof over your head and keeping food on the table is hard enough. We help parents bridge that gap – they can worry about the day-to-day, we’ll help them make memories,” smiles Butler.
To find out more about Alfie’s Wish and to donate, visit its charity website.
Learn more about the Totum Foundation and our charity partners.