Jul
31
2014
A day in the life of a young carer called Hannah
Guest blog from our Charity of the Year 2014, The Honeypot Children's Charity.
For most of us, the early morning starts before work are difficult, but imagine being ten years old and having the responsibility of making sure your whole family are ok before going to school. Honeypot child, Hannah, doesn't know what she'll have to deal with when she wakes up on a morning...
It's 6am and Hannah is woken up by the sound of someone downstairs. Her alarm hasn't yet gone off, but she knows she should get up and check on her Dad, as he has been doing strange things recently.
Sure enough his bedroom door is open. Hannah goes downstairs to find her Dad digging a hole in the middle of their garden. It's freezing cold and he's wearing just his shorts. Hannah asks her Dad what he's doing, and he explains he's making a pond for the fish. Hannah's family don't have any fish, and it takes her twenty minutes to get him back inside where she gives him her dressing gown to warm up.
Since the doctor told her Dad he has a brain tumour, he's been doing strange things like this. Hannah sometimes wishes her Dad hadn't gone to the doctors, and that they were still living their normal lives, but she knows it's not the doctor's fault, and she needs to be there for her Dad and her little brother, Luke. Hannah tries to stop Luke seeing their Dad like this, but sometimes it's not possible.
Hannah puts her Dad back into bed. It's only 6.45am and she still needs to get Luke and herself ready for school. Exams start today...
Hannah is one of the lucky young carers who gets to visit Honeypot House for a respite break once a year. Since 1996, Honeypot has been working to enhance the lives of vulnerable children and young carers aged 5-12 years, by providing respite breaks and on-going support. Once a year, the children come to Honeypot House on the edge of the New Forest, to take a holiday with other children going through similar experiences.
The Honeypot Children's Charity is the Centre's Charity of the Year 2014. To find out more about The Honeypot Children's Charity, please visit www.honeypot.org.uk.
*Please note that children's name have been changed to protect their identities.
