Two siblings embrace

“When Poppy had just turned two, she started getting lots of cold-like symptoms. We took her to the GP several times, but kept getting told it was nothing to worry about.

It was when we were at home one day that we noticed a lump in her abdomen. We took Poppy straight to A&E at St Peter’s Hospital – we knew it was something serious and later that day we were told she had a rare kidney cancer.

We headed to St George’s Hospital where Poppy had surgery to remove the affected kidney, and this was followed by 18 months of chemotherapy treatment at The Royal Marsden Hospital.

We first met Momentum at St George’s Hospital when one of their Family Support Workers introduced themselves. She was exactly what we needed at that moment – she was kind, empathetic and caring.

Our Family Support Worker once dressed up as the Momentum mascot, Mo the owl, and spent time with all the children on the ward. Poppy still remembers this and refers to her as the ‘owl lady’. Looking back, I realise it takes a certain type of special person to take on a role like that.

During Poppy’s treatment, we spent lots of time at St Peter’s Hospital when she was experiencing side effects from chemo or if she needed a blood or platelet transfusion. Momentum was always there, checking we were ok, and Poppy even stayed in a room decorated by Momentum – it had beautiful owls painted on the walls which she would count with her dad.

Momentum always thought about Poppy’s older sister, Amelie, and they arranged six sessions of play therapy for her which really helped her to process her feelings and talk about her worries.

We had a Doorstep Santa visit which meant the world to us, after spending so many Christmases and birthdays in hospital. It was such a special experience at a time when we couldn’t take Poppy out to see Santa.

We have stayed at Momentum’s respite cabin in the New Forest which was a really welcomed change of scenery. We had not been able go away as we were so worried about having to cancel it and let the girls down if Poppy wasn’t well enough, so this took all the stress away. The cabin was lovely and way beyond our expectations. We were given tickets to Paulton’s Park, sadly Poppy wasn’t well that day, but she still enjoyed being able to look at all the characters.

From the outset, I understood what Momentum could offer us, and they were always very good at staying in touch and asking us how we were. It almost feels like you get tailored support, depending on what each family needs.

Poppy completed her cancer treatment two and a half years ago, and January next year is a big milestone for us as the chance of Poppy’s cancer returning becomes significantly reduced.

A couple of years ago, Poppy’s sister, Amelie, came up with the idea to donate her birthday presents to Momentum, to bring some happiness to children going through cancer treatment and other illnesses. This year, Poppy wanted to do the same! She collected birthday presents and other gifts for Momentum to give to children they are helping. I am so incredibly proud of the girls for doing this, it is something they feel passionate about and have taken very seriously. We have called it our ‘toy drive’, an initiative we hope to continue. I think it is important the girls understand the importance of fundraising and helping others.

I now volunteer for Momentum as a pebble painter – I put a lot of love, care and time into painting the pebbles as I know how much they mean to the families. I have painted a Barbie, princess, and an elephant, amongst other things!

Momentum has given so much to us as a family, and it means so much to all of us to be able to give something back.”

From making a donation, to fundraising or volunteering, there are lots of ways you can support Momentum. Find out more

Story taken October 2025