“When Jack smiles, it lights up the whole room”

“He may not be able to speak or walk, but he expresses happiness in the most powerful way - through his eyes. His happiness truly comes out with his beaming eyes and unmistakeable grin when he’s somewhere he feels safe.

“One of those places is Claire House Children’s Hospice,” shares Jack’s mum Emma.

Jack was born with cerebral palsy caused by a lack of oxygen during birth. He also has epilepsy, a tracheostomy, and is visually impaired. He’s had spinal rods fitted, undergone hip surgery, and is fed through a tube because he can’t swallow properly.

Jack’s conditions mean he needs two carers at all times.

“Jack is happy and content but caring for him is a lot of work. He needs support 24/7,” says Emma. “Without Claire House, I dread to think how we’d have coped all these years.”

Claire House has been part of Jack’s life for over a decade. The family were referred when the exhaustion of hospital admissions and sleepless nights became too much. Since then, the hospice has become what they call their lifeline. It’s a safe, welcoming place where Jack is looked after by people who truly know and care for him.

“When Jack used to have respite, we would also stay over,” Emma remembers. “Jack would be looked after downstairs in the hospice and we’d have our own room upstairs. I could go down and check on him, but I could also get some sleep. That meant everything.”

These days, Jack comes for daycare, enjoying sensory therapies, music, hydrotherapy and, most of all, pampering. “He loves having his hair dried and being massaged,” Emma smiles. “He adores the hydrotherapy pool. He just loves being busy and surrounded by familiar voices.”

Jack’s sisters, Ava and Faith, also receive support from Claire House.

“The girls come to family events and get to spend time with other children like them,” says Emma. “When they come to these, they get lots of attention which can be a challenge at home as Jack requires constant care.

“Claire House makes them feel included. It’s not just for Jack - it’s for all of us.”

When Jack comes in for day care, he visits the Claire House Liverpool in West Derby. For families like Jack’s, having the Liverpool site, which is much closer than the hospice on the Wirral, makes an enormous difference.

Emma says: “Claire House’s site in West Derby is so close to Alder Hey Hospital and just down the road from home. Having him close brings real peace of mind if anything were to change while he was there.”

Whilst Claire House offers day care from West Derby, the charity hopes to soon start work on a full hospice on the site that can offer the type of 24/7 care Jack needs. However, this will be dependent on raising the funds needed.

For Emma, a full hospice in Liverpool would mean “everything.”

“We see so many children now who need this kind of support.

“If Claire House had a full hospice in Liverpool, more families could get the help they need. More children like Jack could get vital overnight care close to home.”

Since being referred over a decade ago, Claire House now has a special place in the hearts of Jack and his family.

“What makes Claire House so special,” says Emma, “is that it doesn’t feel like a hospice.

“Claire House is warm, friendly, and calm. It’s not clinical. It feels like a home from home.

Jack’s family are clear: “Claire House gives us life back. They provide rest, support, joy and laughter - we’d be lost without them.”