Preston dad’s plea to support Derian House Children's Hospice during Ramadan
A Preston dad has spoken out about how Derian House has made a difference for his family.
Throughout the month of Ramadan, Derian House Children’s Hospice is sharing stories of families across Lancashire who use the hospice.
Rezwan Hussain, 45, from Fulwood, is dad to 20-year-old Muhammed, who has a rare genetic condition, and began using Derian House’s services 13 years ago.
.jpeg?trim=333,0,0,0&width=640&quality=65)
Rezwan, who began using Derian House’s services 13 years ago, said: “Not everyone understands what Derian does or why it’s so important, but for families like ours, it’s life-changing.
“Derian House means everything to us. We started using the hospice’s services when Muhammed was around seven years old.
“Muhammed has a rare genetic syndrome called Kaufmanoculocerebrofacial. He has developmental delay, hearing loss, is severely visually impaired, and has had episodes of epilepsy. He also gets recurring chest infections and has scoliosis.”
He added: “Muhammed has got such a cheeky personality and loves attention. When we’re at Derian, every nurse comes to say hello. That smile of his makes me smile too.
“We have a small family – made up of me, my wife Asma, 43, and sons Muhammed and Luqmaan. Muhammed is the focus of our family life - we love him to bits.
“Luqmaan is now 15 and is studying for his GCSEs, so life is busy for us all. But we do our best to make it work for both our boys.
“Muhammed really enjoys his overnight stays at Derian. They help us focus on Luqmaan at home and sometimes even visit wider family members, which can be difficult to do with Muhammed because of his mobility needs. Muhammed also loves to visit Derian to take part in activities, sports and days out.
“The Derian team are fantastic and make us feel cared for, always giving us plenty of time and focus. Muhammed feels happy and relaxed when he’s there, and when I collect him, he’s always smiling.”
Derian House cares for more than 400 seriously ill babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West helping them to make the most of every moment.
Care is free for families, but it costs £6 million every year to run services, with only a small amount of this coming from NHS funding.
The charity is appealing for help from the Muslim community during the holy month, asking people to consider donating to help local families in need.
Arshad Rafiq, Derian House Trustee, said: “This Ramadan is a time for compassion, kindness and generosity, and those values are at the heart of everything we do at Derian House. When people see the impact of the hospice on local children and families, they realise there is an incredible charity right here in our community.
“By sharing these real-life stories this Ramadan, we hope to inspire people in our local communities to get involved and make a difference for families who need us most. We are deeply grateful for the support of the Muslim community and everyone who stands with us at this special time of year.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation to Derian House this Ramadan can do so here.