Tom’s Trust

Supporting children facing a brain tumour diagnosis in the Northwest

“When my son was first diagnosed with his tumour, my fear of the unknown was so great. I was so worried that I didn’t understand anything about brain tumours, even with a medical team standing in front of me. Once I had the support of Tom’s Trust, I knew I had found something really special. Our clinical psychologist saved us in so many ways.”

Tom’s Trust is the UK’s only charity dedicated to providing mental health support to children and young people, with brain and other central nervous system tumours, and their families.

The well-loved charity has recently celebrated the first-year milestone of their Northwest service that supports our community, and is based at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Tom’s Trust clinical psychologists currently support hundreds of families across the UK, helping children from diagnosis, through their brutal treatment and as they return to life at home. The team is also there to support a family if their child is dying or has sadly died from this devastating disease.

The Northwest clinical psychologist team supports approximately 43 newly diagnosed children and young people each year, along with their families. Before Tom’s Trust much needed service opened, the average wait for psychological support for a family facing a child’s brain tumour diagnosis was as long as six months, the new service initially reduced this wait to only weeks.

Childhood brain tumours in the UK

Nearly 10 children aged 0-19 are diagnosed with a brain tumour each week, that is approximately 500 each year. A brain tumour diagnosis is devastating.

Many children will experience serious mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression, as a result of their tumour and treatment, and 62% of children who survive a brain tumour will then live with life-long disabilities (such as blindness, hearing loss, lost motor-function or learning disabilities).

How Tom’s Trust supports families

Tom’s Trust clinical psychologists carry out cognitive, psychological, and emotional assessments on children and young people. The results from this help to form a pathway of care for the child and provides a benchmark for any future progress or decline.

Families can also access to one-to-one support, school liaison reintegration, wholefamily support, sibling specific and group therapy sessions. Early intervention can provide the best chance for children to get back to school, resume their lives and go on to achieve their full potential.

If Tom’s Trust didn’t exist these families would not have this support. Supporting one child and their family costs Tom’s Trust £3,335 per year. Dr Meghan Owens, Tom’s Trust Clinical Psychologist at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, said:

Support Tom’s Trust

Dress to impress and join Tom’s Trust to celebrate their vital Alder Hey service on Thursday 10th October at their Charity Ball. The event will be held at the prestigious Titanic Hotel in Liverpool. Included in the £600 per table (of 10) or £60 per person ticket price is a three-course dinner, dancing, magic entertainment and an auction hosted by local entrepreneur Scott Lucy.

Find out more and book your tickets by emailing: sarah@tomstrust.org.uk

Find out more about Tom’s Trust: www.tomstrust.org.uk 07812 377 110

“The work of Tom’s Trust makes a huge difference. A cancer diagnosis doesn’t just affect the child, it is everyone around the child – family, school, extended family, friends. If you are left to navigate this alone, outcomes for families would be very different. If a parent is struggling, they are not at full capacity to support their child. The families whose children who go on to reintegrate well into school and homelife are the ones who will have had good support from the whole oncology team. We believe in prevention rather than cure (wellbeing specific).”