Charlotte sees The Lion King with her family

37-year-old Charlotte from Teignmouth in Devon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. Willow arranged for her to have a day out with her family to see The Lion King in London.

“That precious time together has reminded me how much life is worth living.”

Charlotte’s story 

“I’m a wife and mum of four. Since being diagnosed with leukaemia our whole life has been flipped upside down. I only got diagnosed a few months ago but have already stayed in hospital three times, with stays of up to four weeks at a time, since then.

“The last couple of months have been incredibly tough on us all. My husband had to give up his job, which has hugely affected us financially, and for the first time in my children’s lives they’ve had to get used to being without their mum. We found out that the chemotherapy didn’t work and that my leukaemia is chemo resistant. I have just started a new treatment plan – we are praying it works but the future is very much unknown right now.”

“A time filled with laughter, love and memories we’ll cherish forever.”

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for giving me this special time away with my family. We had the most incredible time – it was exactly what we needed.

The show was out of this world. The kids absolutely loved it, and I cried most of the way through. Our Willow Special Day gave us some normality, which we hadn’t felt in a long time. I was overwhelmed with feeling loved. Being able to be a normal family again and forget about my illness helped us make memories that will last a lifetime.

“I’m going in for a stem cell transplant soon, and that precious time together has made me even more determined to beat this horrible disease. It reminded me just how beautiful and worth living life truly is.”

“It reminded me just how beautiful and worth living life truly is.”

Willow provides special experiences for seriously ill young adults, like Charlotte. Donate today to help more families create lasting memories.