Jamie Johnson visits Demelza House in Sittingbourne
I was invited to meet with Jamie Johnson of BBC UK’s The Voice fame when he visited Demelza House in Sittingbourne to visit Cam Edmonds who was there for a weekend stay. Jamie not only has a wonderful voice but he is a truly nice guy too (sorry if you’re aiming for a bad-boy image Jamie!). He spent several hours with Cam, let his friend take him for a ride around on her wheelchair, constantly tried to ply us all with Pez sweets and happily posed for an abundance of photos throughout his visit.
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I’ve had a few shoots with Cam now for a project that we’re working on. Cam suffers from the severe muscle-wasting Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and osteoporosis due to the steroids he takes. The osteoporosis had caused three spinal fractures and in summer 2012 he broke his leg. He has suffered several more fractures since then and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. He has been through so much already, but every time I see him he always has an infectious smile on his face and lets me snap away…even when he’s not really in the mood! He is an absolute inspiration to us all.
Cam’s Mum Lisa has been fundraising like a trooper managing to secure £24,000 in donations for a new Dragon wheelchair for Cam which is on order and hopefully will be delivered in a shade of dinosaur green! Lisa’s fundraising efforts are now concentrated on a new bed for Cam, she wants to provide him with the same type he has when he stays at Demelza. It moves each part of his body independently and will become an essential part of his care plan as time progresses.
Whilst at Demelza I was lucky enough to see the new wheelchair Cam will be getting in action courtesy of Abbie who has one of her own in custom teal colour, and who rather enjoyed taking Jamie on a ride. The chair is fast, agile, it can take the user from floor to eye level in moments. Most importantly it is designed with a coordinated body image in mind; you see the person, not the chair.
Demelza Children’s Hospice
The word hospice immediately conjures up visions of very sick, terminally ill patients in what you would think is a hospital like facility. Demelza was anything but this. The sleek state of the art building is set back among picturesque fields in the heart of the Kent countryside, when we arrived the sun was shining and the stream through the Tranquility Garden glistened. In the community room there is an abundance of toys and games for children and indeed we saw several children who were visiting the centre with their carers smiling, playing and interacting with one another.
There is a hydrotherapy pool which Cam was intending to make us of during his stay. There is a soft play room, a sensory room, a well equipped music room, an IT suite for older children to make full use of. Shortly Demelza will be opening a newly refurbished area for teenagers called The Inclusion Zone (TIZ room), which is tastefully decorated to the adolescent eye and has a fully equipped kitchen where patients will learn how to cook.
Donations to Demelza Children’s Hospice
Demelza Children’s Hospice is an incredible facility made available by generous donations from people like you and I. It’s very easy to donate online and help provide care and support to children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their families.
