Five-year-old Dexter was diagnosed with B-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in May 2023, just after his third birthday - a diagnosis that came as a huge shock to the family.

Overnight the three-year old’s life changed, and the family were thrown into a world of medical procedures and treatment.

"In the first few months of his treatment, he stopped walking, he would barely talk. He was traumatised by his port and NG tube; he didn’t trust anyone." says Mum, Aimee.

The family were referred to their local hospice by Dexter’s Community Nurse, to help them cope with the emotional effects of his diagnosis.

"The hospice started to provide play therapy for Dexter, helping him understand and feel a bit more in control of everything that was happening." says Aimee. "Slowly he started to come out of his shell and things started to change. By the end of his sessions, Dexter was back to his cheeky, funny, energetic self—running around the hospice full of confidence."

As well as working with the hospice’s 1-1 Wellbeing team, the family also attended hospice stay’n’play sessions, enabling them to meet up regularly with other families in a similar position and helping them to feel less alone.

"The Dexter who first came to the hospice compared to the Dexter we have now is unrecognisable, I have my little boy back again." says Aimee.