The Joely Bear Appeal: Working for greater care and research into childhood cancer
The Joely Bear Appeal is a Hertfordshire-based charity launched in 1995 in memory of Joel Renak, who died aged 4 from a rare form of liver cancer.
"Any stay in hospital is distressing, even more so when it is a child, and particularly so for someone recently diagnosed with cancer or another life threatening illness. While the hospital staff will do everything possible, parents spend a great deal of time with their sick child, and the facilities available to them are often inadequate."
About
The Joely Bear Appeal was initially founded in 1995 by Leigh and Lisa Renak, who sadly lost their 4 year-old son Joel to a rare form of liver cancer. Leigh and Lisa bravely chose to use this tragic loss as a means to help support other children with cancer.
The charity strives to help provide facilities that would make hospital stays as comfortable as possible for children with cancer. More than 25 years later, the Joely Bear Appeal has continued to grow. They now work to provide grants for research into greater detection and care for children with cancer. The charity also campaigns and promotes the life-saving gestures of giving blood and registering on the Bone Marrow panel.
You can learn more about the Joely Bear Appeal on their website.
Aims
- To make hospital stays as comfortable as possible for children and their loved ones. This can involve providing items such as: an additional bed, games consoles, and books.
- To help fund research into cancer and other illnesses that affect children by supporting projects and purchasing research equipment.
- To promote blood donation. They pursue this by hosting multiple blood donor sessions every year.
"Unfortunately only one in twenty of the population who are able to be donors actually give blood regularly. By running three blood donor sessions each year and creating a supportive, family atmosphere at our sessions we encourage all those who are able to contribute."
Leigh and Lisa Renak founded something special out of a tragic loss, and the support the Joely Bear Appeal has garnered ever since is testament to them and the amazing supporters the charity has.
You can support the Joely Bear Appeal via their donation page:
