“Thank you so much for my Easter cuddles.” – Bella’s Story

BellaA cuddly, warmable Easter chick put a smile back on the face of a little girl being treated for cancer at the Royal Marsden in Sutton, Surrey.

The chick was one of 400 teds, funded by generous donations from Cancer Support UK supporters who took our Easter 2021 Cuddles appeal to their hearts.

Thanks to the kindness of donors, we were able to send those Easter teds to children with cancer, like Bella, being treated in hospitals and hospices across the UK.

Bella was only four years old when diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in November 2020. Since then she has been receiving treatment at the Royal Marsden, which is one of the largest children’s cancer centres in Europe.

Bella is known for being a very caring and smiley little girl. Her mum, Jacqui, says: “Bella is determined, strong, and likes to keep the doctors and nurses on their toes.”

Bella with Easter cuddles chickThose doctors and nurses have been described as “absolutely fantastic” throughout Bella’s time in hospital, and they gave one of our Easter Cuddles teds – a gorgeous fluffy chick – to her.

The arrival of her Cuddles ted gave Bella a real boost at a difficult time, and restored her big smile.

“We are very grateful for Cancer UK’s support in bringing a smile to Bella’s face and helping her to forget what she is going through.”

We also received a lovely email from Bella herself, which brought an incredibly warm glow to Cancer Support UK staff.

It simply read: “Thank you so much for my Easter Cuddles, love Bella xxx.”

Please help us to provide cancer support

With your help we can be there for adults and children undergoing treatment or recovering from cancer. In 2020 we helped 4,952 people during their cancer journey, and as a small charity who receive no government support, you are a vital part of our work.

For example, a donation of £5 could pay for a pair of toasty warm socks, included in our Kids’ Kit, to help with the common side-effect of cold feet during cancer treatment. Please donate. Thank you.