Camille’s Appeal was founded in 2009 following the diagnosis of Camille with a brain tumour, when she was just two years old.
Camille's Appeal previously funded a Project Co-ordinator and later also funded and administrative assistant and specialist teacher.
Camille’s family and friends witnessed first-hand the incredible work provided by the National Health Service; however, they also became aware of some of the difficulties that patients, their families and NHS staff faced. Their experience inspired them to support the welfare of children in a similar position to Camille by creating the Camille’s Appeal charity.
Over a period of two years, Camille underwent extensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments as well as numerous brain operations to combat the brain tumour. All of these standard treatments have affected her in varying ways over the short term, and the after-effects of the tumour and the treatment are now continuing into the long term. Camille’s parents also came into contact with a large number of families who were going through the same experience and learned about the problems that they too faced.
The treatment and its subsequent effects on Camille and other children in a similar position gave the trustees and fundraisers of Camille’s Appeal an invaluable insight into the need for rehabilitation provision to be included into the patient’s journey. One of the main lessons they have learned is that the NHS has very dedicated, competent people in the many disparate disciplines needed to deal with the range of rehabilitation issues that children like Camille face. However, the NHS does not currently have the structure or the funding to pull these resources together into a cohesive treatment regime.
The Camille’s Appeal objectives were to assist children diagnosed with a brain tumour and their families, so that they can achieve as close to a normal, fulfilled life as possible. The focus of Camille’s Appeal was to work closely with the NHS to ensure that each and every child is given the right amount of care to lower the risk of disability and to create and improve rehabilitation care across the United Kingdom, starting with the East of England. We are delighted that we have been able to work with the NHS and the other charities to create the Brainbow service, which will pioneer the bringing together of many of the elements of rehabilitation that children such as Camille need. Our hope is that Brainbow will provide children who have had brain tumours with a much better quality of life than they would otherwise have had.
Sadly, in 2016, the difficult decision was taken to close Camille’s Appeal later in the summer. Upon closure the Trustees of Camille’s Appeal kindly provided on-going funding for the posts the charity had previously funded and transferred remaining funds to Brainbow’s dedicated charity fund. In June 2016, members of the Brainbow Management Committee presented the trustees of Camille’s Appeal with a token of recognition for the invaluable contribution as a co-founder of Brainbow.