In 1982 my Mum and Dad gave birth to a little boy called Owain Rhun Llwyd. When he was 4 months old, he was diagnosed with severe brain damage. As a result, he couldn’t speak or communicate his emotions. His life was going to be short. He passed away just before his 4th birthday. During Owain’s last years of life he and my parents spent a lot of time at the children’s hospice, Helen House.

 

Children’s hospices help look after children and young adults, ensuring that the final stages of their lives are fun and filled with as much joy as possible. Helen House was the world’s first children’s hospice. My Mum and Dad always speak so highly of their time spent there, it gave them many fond memories and helped them find positivity in a dark period of their lives.

 

The forget me not flower was the symbol of the House at the time. This flower now means so much to us as a family – it’s engraved onto Owain’s grave stone and I wear it as a tattoo on my left arm.

 

There wasn’t a children’s hospice in Wales at the time; my Mum, Dad and Owain had to travel hours to Helen House hospice in Oxford, England. I’m happy to know that there are now two hospices based in Wales.

 

10% of each sale of my new forget me not t-shirt will go towards Tŷ Hafan – one of these hospices.

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​Tŷ Hafan is one of the UK’s leading paediatric palliative care charities and offers care to children and support for their families, throughout Wales. They offer comfort, care and support to life-limited children, young people and their families in the hospice, in the community and their homes. They allow parents and carers to relax and recharge their batteries, whiles also making sure the needs of brothers and sisters are never forgotten. Their invaluable support has helped over 850 families since they opened in 1999.  

 

Please click on this link here to read more about the amazing work Ty Hafan is doing for many children and families in Wales: https://www.tyhafan.org/ 

 

Gwenllian xx