During our stays in London we were lucky to have a room allocated at Paul’s House, a Young Lives V Cancer home from home. All four of us sleeping in the same room was like a sleepover for Romy and that, together with the promise of playgrounds to visit, was the big draw that helped give Romy the determination to complete her radiotherapy treatment awake rather than under a general anaesthetic. Paul’s House was an amazing place to stay, and was only two minutes walk to the hospital. Romy and Zephyr loved it so much that in the end I don’t think they really wanted to leave. There was a huge kitchen where we could cook and eat, a play room with a rocking horse that Romy loved, which she named ‘Hoof’, and lounges with TVs and computer game consoles. It was tiring as the house was not baby proof, for example there were no stair gates, but its proximity to the hospital made life very easy for us, and we were so grateful to have somewhere to stay. The house was enormous with 16 bedrooms, but during our stay we rarely saw anyone, it was like having the whole house to ourselves.
Helen & Tom
