Steven and SU Raising Funds for Helping Hand

Alongside SERC Students' Union, Steven Jones a level 2 hairdressing student is starting a fundraiser for Royal Belfast Hospital for sick children through the charity Helping Hand. Steven has a personal attachment to the hospital and the incredible work they do after his daughter was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF).   

Steven said “My daughter Ava was born in May of 2020. It was a normal birth however in the first two weeks of her life we knew something wasn’t quite right. When she was a week old, she had her blood spot test, and a couple of weeks later my partner Aimee and I got a phone call from a doctor who worked in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, who said something came up in the blood test and she needed to speak to us.  

 “We waited anxiously for the news before being informed that Ava’s blood test returned a positive result for CF, they even double checked by running a genetic screening against that blood sample. CF is a genetic condition, it cannot be caught or spread and there is no cure. It’s passed down by both parents having a faulty gene when this gene is passed to a child, they have a 1 in 4 chance of having the condition.”

Steven spoke about CF and the developments in how it’s treated “There are treatments available and the advances that are coming are astonishing. With all these new treatments available it has completely changed the outlook for people with CF, their lifespan is the same as everyone else and they can enjoy life the way any other child can.”

Speaking about the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and his experience with their CF team Steven said “We first met the amazing CF team a couple of days after Ava’s diagnoses. They work tirelessly to give the best possible care, not only to their patients but to their families too. They’re never more than a phone call away, always greet us with a smile, and they are just an incredible team who care deeply for all the children.

Steven added “There is another term coined by many children who have Cystic Fibrosis, and that is “Sixty-Five Roses”. Children find it difficult to pronounce their condition and often call it “Sixty-Five Roses” and this term has stuck. This is why for the month of May I along with the Students’ Union will be walking 65 miles to raise money for Helping Hand- a charity that work with the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. 

“On 27 May, the staff and students at SERC will be having a “Wear Yellow Day”, which is normally done by the Cystic Fibrosis unit in June. We invite you all to wear yellow that day, whether that be a t-shirt or just a hairband.” 

Steven concluded “The money raised will go towards helping to purchase vital new equipment to diagnose and treat the hospital’s young patients, to provide facilities and services for families and to fund research into children’s illnesses. Please join us all for this amazing cause.”

To donate visit Steven's Just Giving Page.