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Lovely Lavinia donates to Rainbow ward
Lavinia Crosbie (1), accompanied by her mother Lucy, visited the Rainbow ward recently, on the anniversary of her diagnosis of a rare cancer.
Lavinia, now in remission for the rare retinoblastoma that affected her eye, took the time to donate gifts to children on the ward on Halloween, to make them smile and say thank you for the treatment she has received at our hospital.
Receiving part of her treatment at West Suffolk Hospital, Lavinia spent time in and out of hospital during her six months of care. Under the care of paediatric consultant Dr Piccinelli, her care included blood transfusions and courses of antibiotics due to the fevers she experienced as a side effect of her treatment, and often she needed to stay in overnight.
Finishing her chemotherapy in March, Lavinia is now thankfully in remission. Her mum Lucy, from Thetford, wanted to give something back as a result of the time they spent here, and said:
“The nurses on the Rainbow ward are lovely. The care Lavinia received was so personal and everyone did their best to make it homely given we spent so much time here.
“Lavinia is doing really well now, and we decided to raise some money as a thank you and to ensure other children can be entertained during their stay on the ward. We held various raffles, with local shops and businesses donating very generous prizes to support the cause. We raised more than £300 and have donated a mix of toys, books, comics, and sensory activities for a range of ages.
“Lavinia, like all little ones, sometimes found it hard to sleep in a different environment, so we also purchased a projector with lights and music. We hope this will help other children to relax and drift off to sleep.
“We were so happy to raise money to support such a fantastic ward.”
Dawn Dorrington, Rainbow ward manager, said: “It was so kind of Lavinia and her parents to visit us and provide treats for our patients. The donated gifts will make a real difference to the wellbeing of children and young people that stay on the ward, and we would like to thank Lavinia and her family and friends for their generous support.”
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