Child bereavement charity 2 Wish Upon A Star works to provide suddenly bereaved parents and families with immediate support following the unexpected death of a child or young person under 26.
The charity was founded in 2012 by Rhian Burke following the sudden death of her son George. Rhian and her husband Paul were given little support, and unable to cope with the loss, five days later Paul passed away.
Rhian founded the charity so that no parent in Wales would ever feel how her and Paul felt, that there was nowhere to turn and no-one to help.
The charity is currently working with all but one Accident and Emergency units in Wales, either directly through immediate bereavement support or indirectly through memory boxes and staff referrals.
Rhian has also developed partnerships with Dyfed Powys Police, South Wales Police and Gwent Police forces. These relationships centre on agreements to better communications through formalised training plans, meaning officers are able to refer families to the charity, ensuring parents who lose a child under 26 years of age get immediate bereavement support.
Another way that 2 Wish upon A Star offers support is through its refurbished family rooms at Accident and Emergency and Critical Care Units. Two of these family rooms were recently opened at the University Hospital Wales in Cardiff and the Accident and Emergency unit in the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr.
The rooms are designed to be private places of comfort and support where loved ones can spend time together during what are often the worst moments of their lives.
The charity also offers a range of counselling including sibling support, for brothers and sisters who are grieving.
For more information on 2 Wish Upon A Star, you can go to their website, www.2wishuponastar.org or you can call 01443 853 125.
2 Wish Upon A Star was nominated for the ICE Advent by ICE member Simon Collins of Compass Media Relations. Find out more about our ICE Advent here.