Ecard project is back on :)

Managed to contact Kate Dee from postpals (thank loads for the help if you're reading Kate) so the cards should get through now! :)

THE ECARD PROJECT

I prefer writing emails to the Pals than letters, although I still occasionally write letters and send gifts, for quite a lot of reasons; it is easier for the Pals to keep track of them, they reach them faster, there is no chance of them losing them and they are still just as heartfelt. So, as it's the festive season, I had an idea about sending Ecards to all the Pals and their siblings this year!

Ecards are a great idea for the Pals because there is such a huge assortment of them, and I like to believe that they really make them smile to know that someone sent them a card! I know I would only be able to send a couple of actual cards, but I can send ecards to them all because I have found an amazing site called 123greetings.com which have lots of cards that make great festive gifts! (Be careful if sending cards and gifts through the post this Christmas-the snow problems mean that they are unlikely to get through in time- I can see a blanket of about 20cms of snow outside my window, and according to the MET office that's a 'light shower'. Light avalanche more like :) )

So that is my project this Christmas-to make sure every Pal and Sibling receives a smile! However, I am having a bit of trouble because all the 123greetings ecards that I try to send end up in Postpals' spam inbox.

IF A POSTPALS VOLUNTEER IS READING THIS, PLEASE LET VIKS KNOW THAT THE ECARDS SENT ARE GOING INTO THE POSTPALS SPAM INBOX AND NOT REACHING THE PALS!

I am trying to contact Viks at the moment and if I manage to successfully then I will post on the site :)

Dannii xxx

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: Week of 13/12/10

Christmas is near, and some Pals have their birthdays near too! Why not send them a Birthmas gift? Or a Chrisday gift? Alright, enough with the puns :)

There is actually only one birthday this week, but it's a special one: Alice Pyne's 15th Birthday!!! Alice has had a rough time with her cancer lately and she deserves a few glittery cards and brown paper parcels!

Dannii xxx

I'm Finally Back!

Finally I'm back online!
Sorry about the loooong absence...anyone who knows me will know that my laptop charger cable had completely stopped working a couple of weeks into September. Now, miraculously, it's working as good as new! So I can get back on top of things, at least whilst this lasts.

Obviously, a heck of a lot has happened since September the 10th! PostPals has had quite a few new arrivals, and sadly a few departures as well. Here's a list (I am going to have a tough time picking for Pals of the Month!)

NEW PALS SINCE SEPTEMBER
Name: Adam C, Age: 16, Birthday: 18th of February, Condition: Intestinal Failure
Adam W, 3, 2nd of March, Cerebral Palsy
Aled G, 7, 1st of September, VACTERL Association (Aled came off the site a couple of years ago but is now back because he has just had a major bowel operation.)
Alicia R, 10, 12th of December, Cystic Fibrosis
Antonia S, 11, 20th of June, Cystic Fibrosis
Ella C, 3, 9th of September, Chronic Renal Failure
Holly S, 9, 6th of December, Metabolic Disorder
Lennon R, 4, 5th of December, Not Yet Diagnosed
Matthew P, 5, 10th of March, Malignant Brain Tumour
Seraphina I, 4, 27th of November, Rett Syndrome

PALS THAT HAVE MOVED ON
Ben S, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (Ben has been on the site for over a year, and has now finally stopped his chemo and is apparently happy in secondary school!)
Erin F, Crouzon Syndrome (Erin has been on the site for over 2 years now, and she and her parents feel that they have had their fair share of post now and there are more ill children that need to take priority on the website. Erin is now 8 and having a fab time in Year 4.)
Jack Peter B, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (After 2 years of living with cancer, Jack is now off treatment and doing great!)
Luke H, X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Syndrome (Luke and his three brothers Daniel, Josh and Nathan all had this condition which is barely existent, affecting only 100 families WORLDWIDE. Thankfully, they are all now cured and Luke, the youngest son, has moved on. A happy story for their family!)
Robyn H, Neuroblastoma (I am so pleased that Robyn has moved on. Any Neuroblastoma family will tell you it is a terrible cancer-notorious for returning, and there isn't the greatest chance of making it through, so the fact that Robyn is in remission is fantastic!)

PALS THAT HAVE GAINED ANGEL WINGS
Benjamin H, 5, DOD: 4th October 2010, Malignant Brain Tumour. Ben was an amazing little boy, battling against his cancer, despite relapsing multiple times. As his parents said, "He was always happy and never complained. He was an inspiration to us all."
Jazmine L, 9, DOD: 6th November 2010, Ewing's Sarcoma. Jazmine was a real little fighter, taking on her cancer for 3 years, and took great joy in completing her 'bucket list' of things she wanted to do before she passed away.

BIG NEWS
Alice P (Hodgkin's Lymphoma) has sadly been told that her cancer is terminal. I sent Alice and Milly a letter and some gifts a couple of months ago and it is heartbreaking to hear this news.
Nia S (ALL) has finally come off high dose chemo and is on to maintenance chemo!
Matthew P (Malignant Brain Tumour) has terminal cancer and has sadly had to stop chemo.

Please tell your friends to join the blog! Postpals needs Publicity!

I'll Be Back...

Hi guys! Sorry about the lull in posts-only a couple of months into the new school year! But I promise I will start posting regularly again soon!

September's Featured Pals: Connor C

Each month I feature two Pals on the website who I think could really use some post right now. The first Pal is Connor C (4, Neuroblastoma).

Connor was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma (An advanced form of the disease and the state in which it is most commonly discovered) in November 2008, when he was only 2 years old.

He had 7 weeks of chemo, an operation to remove the tumour, another 8 weeks of high-dose chemo, 3 weeks of radiotherapy, and finally 6 months on tablets called retinoic acid.

After 16 gruelling months, Connor was in remission. Sadly, in June 2010, it was discovered that he had relapsed, and the cancer is now terminal.

As his mom says, "The little fighter he is has now started more chemotherapy to try to slow things down. He's not letting anything stop him and is living life to the full and is still the cheeky little boy he always was and will be."

Sad News: Ashley H

I am very sad to report that Ashley H, (7, Neuroblastoma) lost his 2-year battle with Neuroblastoma on the 8th of September at 2:10 a.m.

The Post Pals team said: "He was a very brave Jedi who took on cancer the same way he took on Darth Vader."

Here is a picture of Ashley at the Post Pals party 2 months ago, with Joe B whose big brother, Jack Bradley, also died of cancer.

Now Ashley's pain has eased and he is flying with the other angels from Post Pals who lost their lives battling with cancer and other diseases.

R.I.P Ashley x

August's News

August has been a great month for Post Pals!

There have been record numbers of new Pals this month-7 in the last month alone!

There have also been some Pals that have 'Moved On'- Jack Peter B and Ben S have both finished their leukaemia treatment; Erin F has been well for a while now; and Luke H is also well so he has joined his 3 brothers on the Moved On list.

I personally think, looking at the post that the kids are getting, that Post Pals is having a brilliant year and is getting a lot more followers.

Dannii xxx

ILLNESS PROFILE: Chronic Renal Failure (CRF)

Chronic Renal Failure is a condition where the kidneys don't work as well as they should. It is a fairly common problem in its milder forms in the elderly, but Max (pictured) is only 2 and has a severe form of the disease, which is rare. Treatment is usually through dialysis or a kidney transplant. 

The only current Pal who suffers from CRF is Max P (2) (pictured): Max is currently on the donor list for a new kidney, and is having a lot of meds and injections. 

                                                                                          

UPDATE: Alice P

Alice is 14 and has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She has been waiting for months and months to get a crucial bone marrow donor match-and SHE HAS FINALLY GOT ONE! :)

The news is bittersweet, however, because she must clear her bone marrow with her latest round of chemo for the bone marrow transplant to work. It is crucial that this works for her.

I know you'll all wish her the best of luck.

Dannii xxx

Birthdays and Anniversaries: August 2010

Sorry this is late! These are the birthdays being celebrated and anniversaries being commerorated on the Post Pals website this month.

Ben S (ALL): On the 23rd August, it will be Ben's 11th birthday!

Dominic F (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy): On the 23rd August, it will be Dominic's 16th birthday!

Jon Paul O (Cystic Fibrosis): On the 29th August, it will be Jon's 19th birthday! (This is incredible because when Jon was a baby, the docs didn't think he was going to see his 3rd birthday...guess they were proved wrong :D)

Milly P (Crouzon Syndrome): On the 19th August, it will be Milly's 12th birthday!

Tom S (Noonan's Syndrome): Yesterday (5th August) it was Tom's 7th birthday!

Jules N (Daisy N's brother): On the 4th August, it was Jules' 8th birthday!

Josh F (Macaulay's F brother): On the 8th August, Josh will be 5!

Chloe P (Max P's sister): On the 16th August, Chloe will be celebrating her 13th bday!

Joe H (Megan H's brother): On the 31st August, Joe will have hit the big 1-0!

Jade D (Tie D's sister): On August 12th, Jade will be 11!

Adelle D (Tie D's sister): On August 29th, Adelle will be 5! (In case you haven't noticed, Tie has a hell of a lot of sisters...6 actually :O)

Jamie R (Neuroblastoma): Jamie passed away exactly five years ago on the 31st August.

Jamie W (Neuroblastoma): Jamie passed away earlier this year, but on the 2nd August it would have been her 6th birthday.

Katie P (Neuroblastoma): Katie passed away, but on the 18th August it would have been her 6th birthday.

Madison P (Rhabdomyosarcoma): Madi passed away, but on the 30th August it would have been her 5th birthday.

Cameron E (Hannah E's brother): On the 27th August, Cameron will be 11!

Tyler P (Madison P's sister): On the 14th August, it will be Tyler's 8th b-day!


In case you are interested, I am doing a little birthday project this year-every Pal and Sibling will get an ecard on their birthday :) It's not much, but it will make smiles :)

Dannii xxx

August: Featured Pals 2

Each month I feature 2 Pals on my blog who I think particularly need some TLC right now. This month's Featured Pals are Jazmine L and Jon Paul O.

 Jon Paul O is 19 this month. He loves everything to do with fire engines and playing football.

Jon was born with many problems and died-twice!-but was brought back to his family. He wasn't expected to live until he was 3, but he proved the doctors wrong! He has to have a lot of medication and is a regular in hospital, but he always stays POSITIVE not NEGATIVE about his illness, as his mum says in the updates of his page.

Right now, Jon Paul is stuck in hospital for 6 weeks with very low lung function (because of his CF) so he could really use some post right now!

Finally, an update!

Post Pals have FINALLY updated about their annual party! Oh well, running a website like Post Pals must be hard work...

The party was really fun, with a candy buffet, a puppet lady and a bouncy castle! Also, balloons were released in memory of the 25 memorial children on the Post Pals website.

You can read their latest post on http://www.postpals.co.uk/news.php and here are some pics from the party!

This is Izzy C, holding the balloon in memory of her big sister Holly, who passed away earlier this year from Neuroblastoma.

This is Ashley H (7, Neuroblastoma) with Joe, who lost his big brother Jack Bradley to Biphenotypical Leukaemia.

These are 'The Twins'-you'll definitely get them mixed up! They are Izzy and Amber (Izzy is Holly C's sister and Amber is Ashley H's sister). Don't they look adorable?

This is Courtenay P (10, NF) and Kate, one of the volunteers who helped organise the whole thing (yay for the volunteers!) having some fun on the bouncy castle!

August: Featured Pals

Each month, I feature two Pals on my blog who could really use some cheering up this month. They might be stuck in hospital, recovering from major surgery or bored out of their mind in isolation, and they could really use some post to make them smile.

This month's kids are Jon Paul O and Jazmine L.

This is Jaz L. She is 9 and adores Hello Kitty and High School Musical. She has a little sister, Jessenia (4).

Jazmine was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, in her femur when she was only 6 years old. It was discovered that the cancer had spread to her lungs and her family had to face the possibility that her cancer was terminal.

Thankfully, Jaz pulled through, and the tumours on her lungs disappeared. In November '09, she was declared cancer-free, and her family were elated. Sadly, on the 8th July this year it was discovered that Jaz's cancer has returned and is terminal.

She has compiled a list of all the things she wants to do before she 'gains her angel wings'. Please send her some lovely post to cheer her up.

July's News

July was a fairly quiet month by Post Pal standards, but there was still some things of note that happened in July.

Firstly, Post Pals received a few new arrivals: Ben H, who is 5 and has a rare brain tumour; Emma B, who is also 5 and has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia; Enya W, who is also 5 (weird coincidence?) and has Langerhans Cell Histiocytocis, a condition that's treated like cancer but isn't cancer; Jaz L, who is 9 and has terminal Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer; Max P, who is 2 and is being tested on the website; and Xander G, who is 4 and has X-Linked Agammaglobulinaemia (no, I don't know what it means either!).

There was also some sad news; Lewis R passed away on the 3rd July, at only 2 years of age, from Neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a terrible disease, of all the 25 memorial children over half of them passed away from Neuroblastoma, and this cancer also took the lives of Chintzia (3) and Amelia-Grace (8) on the 23rd and 24th of June, only two weeks earlier.

On a happier note, the Post Pals party was held this month! This annual party is a tribute to Post Pals and all the kids it has helped and is still helping. I will update on how the party went when Post Pals updates.

Apart from this, July has been pretty slow-the team must have been busy, because there haven't been any updates since Lewis passed away.

Look out for August's update!

Dannii xxx

UPDATE: Emma B

Emma B was diagnosed with leukaemia when she was only 3 years old. Intense chemotherapy and maintenance treatment managed to get her into remission by her 4th birthday. Unfortunately, Emma relapsed in October 2009. She was put into remission again, and received a bone marrow transplant from her brother.

Recently she was admitted to hospital again, and the doctors thought that she might have relapsed again-the worst thing that could have possibly happened.

Thankfully, Emma's mum has posted on the website and Emma has not relapsed again-yay!

This is her post:

"Very good news from Emma's doctor-it is not a leukaemia relapse which is causing Emma's latest problems. She has been very lucky indeed as we did fear the worst. There is another blood disorder called TTP which is stopping Emma's new bone marrow producing platelet cells and haemoglobin. Her white cells have recovered after some GCSF booster but the doctor says we might never find out the reason why the white cells dipped. Hopefully the TTP disorder will rectify itself but if not they can treat this with plasmas. All very complicated but manageable.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent us kind messages and presents. They really do keep Emma smiling."

Emma remains in remission, so let's hope she can get out of hospital soon!

Dannii xxx

(If you didn't understand some of the medical terms in this post, I will be making a glossary soon.)

Birthdays and Anniversaries: Week of 26/07/10

Here are the birthdays being celebrated and the anniversaries being commemorated this week on the Post Pals website.



Faye T (Gastroparesis): Faye's moved on, but you might like to know that Friday is Faye's 21st birthday!



Kyle P: Kyle is Amy P's brother, and Wednesday is his 7th birthday! Why not send him a birthday card?

William M (Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction). On Friday, it is William's 6th birthday! Happy birthday for Friday, William! Why not send William a card? (William is likely going to spend his birthday in hospital, so he could really use some post to cheer him up. Also, William is one of this month's Featured Pals- Here's the link.

(Information credited to Post Pals)

Illness Profile: Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID)

CVID (Common Variable Immune Deficiency) is basically what its name implies. Immune Deficiency means that sufferers have less antibodies (the body's resistance to infection) and are less immune to infections, so get more infections. It is one of the more common immune deficiency conditions, and it varies from person to person; for instance, Charlie H (pictured) has a severe form of CVID.

Current Pals who suffer from CVID are:

Charlie H (4) (pictured): Charlie is doing OK at the moment, though he's still on a cocktail of meds.

Jordan H (13): Jordan is doing OK, but his antibody count is a little low and he has been bombarded with infections for the last three months.

(Picture credited to www.postpals.co.uk, information credited to various medical sites)

Illness Profile: Charcot-Marie-Tooth (Muscular Dystrophy)

CMT (Muscular Dystrophy) is a neurological (affects the nervous system), hereditary (can be passed down through generations) disease. It is named after the three scientists who discovered it: Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth.

People with CMT slowly lose normal use of their arms, hands, legs and feet as the nerves degenerate. It is incurable, but luckily not usually life-threatening.

Current Pals who suffer from CMT are:

Anna-Mae C (14): Anna-Mae also has Cherubism, which means the bones in her face are being eaten by benign tumours, but luckily this condition will get better in time. Anna-Mae is doing very well at the moment.

(Picture credited to postpals.co.uk, information credited to various medical sites)

UPDATE: Jon Paul O

Jon Paul O (18, Cystic Fibrosis, pictured) is very ill in hospital at the moment, with severely low lung function. Here is the latest post on his page:

"Hello, this is Jon Paul's mum. Jon Paul is still very ill in hospital; he is fighting it, but not winning at the moment. He is very tired and just wants to sleep. All I ask is if you can say a prayer for him this will help. I will let you know when he is any better, but as Jon Paul says, stay POSITIVE about your illness not NEGATIVE."

Let's all hope Jon Paul gets better soon.

Dannii xxx

(Picture and information credited to postpals.co.uk)

Illness Profile: Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is a movement, coordination and posture disorder caused by brain damage to the cerebrum (part of the brain). It can vary from mild to very severe, and it is incurable. Often sufferers need to use a wheelchair. In severe cases such as Brooklyn's (right), sufferers are unable to walk or sit.

Current Pals suffering from Cerebral Palsy on the Post Pals website are:

Brooklyn A (2): Brooklyn is having a lot of problems at the moment due to the CP, constant illnesses and his autistic tendencies, and is in hospital all the time.

Jon Paul O (18): Jon Paul is very ill in hospital at the moment, but this is due to his cystic fibrosis and not his cerebral palsy.

William M (5): Like Jon Paul, William is also very ill in hospital at the moment, but again, this is to do with his primary illness (intestinal pseudo-obstruction) rather than the CP.

BACK TO ILLNESS PROFILES

(Picture credited to postpals.co.uk, information credited to various medical sites)

Illness Profile: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL)

Leukaemia is cancer of the white blood cells. There are two main types of white blood cells; neutrophils and lymphocytes. In Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, the lymphocytes in the body multiply out of control, but they don't mature, so they can't prevent infection. They fill the bone marrow so the bone marrow cannot produce the correct amounts of platelets and red blood cells, so anaemia (tiredness and palpitations) and bruising can occur. It is more common in children than adults.

Thankfully, now the survival rate for children with ALL is 95%, which is brilliant.


Current Pals on the website that are suffering from ALL are:

Ben S (10). Ben is on chemotherapy medicines and is doing quite well.

Emma B (5). Emma has recently had a bone marrow transplant and is still in hospital.

Jack Peter B (7). Jack Peter is nearing the end of 3 long years of chemotherapy and is doing well.
Lauryn A (6). Lauryn is currently being treated for a fungal infection related to the ALL.

Nia S (10) (pictured). Nia has a very rare and aggressive type of ALL. She has relapsed and is in hospital having very intensive chemotherapy.

Zachary H (5). Zachary is on chemotherapy medicines and is doing well.

BACK TO ILLNESS PROFILES

Illness Profiles

A lot of the Pals' conditions can be complete gibberish to anyone who isn't a doctor. (It was total gibberish to me at first!) I mean, what the heck does Langerhans Cell Histiocytocis mean? If you would like to understand more about a particular Pal's condition, and see it explained in more simple terms than on the Post Pals website itself, just read one of the profiles here. More will get added in time.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL)

Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (Muscular Dystrophy)

(Picture credited to Google Images)

Birthdays and Anniversaries, week of 19/07/10

Here are the birthdays being celebrated and anniversaries being commemorated this week on the Post Pals website.

Enya W, LCH: Tomorrow (24/07/10) is Enya's fifth birthday. Happy birthday for tomorrow, Enya! Why not send Enya a birthday card or a little gift?

Daniel M, Neuroblastoma: Daniel passed away on the 14th June 2008, aged 5. On Monday, it would have been Daniel's 8th birthday. Why not send Daniel's family a letter?

Jack Bradley B, Biphenotypical Leukaemia: Today is the second anniversary of Jack Bradley passing away, aged 9. Why not send Jack Bradley's family a letter?

Christian B, Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney: Christian's moved on, but you might like to know that Monday was Christian's 7th birthday!

Jordan T, Cystic Fibrosis: Jordan's moved on, but you might like to know that today (23/07/10) is Jordan's 18th birthday. Happy birthday Jordan!

Amelia-Grace C, Neuroblastoma: On Sunday, it will have been a month since Amelia-Grace passed away, and her family could really use some post.

Hafsah A: Hafsah is Ayesha A's brother, and it was his 12th birthday on the 22nd. Why not send him a birthday card? (Edit: Sorry if Hafsah is a girl, it's not clear and I'm not great with Indian names :) it sounds like a boy's name to me but I might be wrong.)

Jessenia L: Jessenia is Jaz L's sister, and it was her 4th birthday on the 21st. Why not send her a birthday card? (Jaz's cancer has been declared terminal, so Jaz's family are having a hard time at the moment.)

Matty W, Acute Myloid Leukaemia: Matty W has moved on, but you might like to know that tomorrow is Matty's 15th birthday! Matty was one of the first five children to join Post Pals.

Jack P: Jack is Max P's brother, and it was his 10th birthday on the 19th. Why not send him a birthday card?

What Is Post Pals?

Post Pals is a charity which features children with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and cystic fibrosis on their website, and allows the general public to send the children (known as Pals) gifts, letters, emails and cards (known as Posty to the Pal). The children on the website have a variety of conditions, they are all life-threatening and sometimes even terminal or incurable. The Pals are usually aged between 2 and 17, but there are a few exceptions, and the oldest Pal is 20. Each Pal has their own page, with their picture, basic information, an address to send their post to and their story.

Post Pals is run by a team of people, the three main people being Vikki George or 'Viks' who has severe ME, and came up with the idea for Post Pals when she was bedbound and getting post was one of the best things that happened to her; Vix, who got ME when she was doing her A Levels and is now recovering; and Kat, who has a pituitary tumour. Kat was so ill that she was classed as a Pal for a time.

If you want to know anything more about Post Pals, please leave a comment :)

(Picture credited to www.postpals.co.uk, some of information also credited to postpals.co.uk)

Ways to Help Out Post Pals

So, you've seen my new blog, checked out the website, and decided that you want to help out Post Pals. But how do you help out? Here are some ideas about things YOU can do for the Pals.

1. Send a cheerful email to one of the kids! If you don't have a lot of time, this is probably the most feasible option. What would you rather do in 5 minutes, go to the vending machine to grab a Kit Kat, or make a little girl who's been stuck in hospital for three months smile? Maybe include a funny picture, your favourite joke-it doesn't have to be hugely complicated.

2. Write a letter! This is the main thing that Post Pals encourages people to do. On the Post Pals news page is a post about what to say in a letter and what not to say: http://www.postpals.co.uk/news.php

3. Send a gift! Gifts will really make this children happy. However, make sure to check the Pal's page first to find out what kind of things they like, and also if they are allergic to something. Here are guidelines for children in oncology (cancer) wards in hospital: http://www.postpals.co.uk/ans.php?id=25

4. Make a donation! Post Pals is seriously short of funding-Viks and her team all have conditions such as ME and cancer so they usually can't work apart from on the charity, and when they send gifts to the kids they usually rely on donations from the public or the generosity of companies. Just 50p will enable a child in hospital to get a postcard from the team.

5. Spread the word! As well as the above, one of the most valuable things you can try to do it spread the word about Post Pals! Post Pals is not a well-known charity, and they could definitely use a few more people who can spread word about this amazing website.

6. Hold an event for Post Pals! Some ideas: Sponsored silence, bake sale, letter-writing project to get as many letters as possible for the kids, bring in old toys for the kids event, fete, maybe even run a marathon, things like that, and donate the money to Post Pals. Post Pals have never received more than £600.00 in donations from kind volunteers-maybe you can change that! Here is the fundraising page: http://www.postpals.co.uk/fund.php and here is the contact page where you can donate by sending money to the address: http://www.postpals.co.uk/contact.php

Now give yourself a pat on the back for making a sick child smile!

July: Featured Kids 2

William M is 6 on the 30th of July. He adores Thomas the Tank Engine, music and Sunday School, and has two sisters, Hope and Ellie. Here is his story.

William has had problems for his whole life. He was born prematurely and was in hospital all the time as a baby, diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. It was soon to become apparent that this was not the case. He has severe reflux and problems swallowing, so he had to have a gastrostomy so that William could be fed straight into his stomach. It was discovered that he has intestinal pseudo-obstruction, problems with the function of the intestines, which means nothing was moving along through his intestines so it was flowing back to his lungs, causing damage.

William cannot tolerate any food or drink and is on a drip 20 hours a day. He is frequently in hospital due to life-threatening bugs in his intestines, which can cause serious illnesses such as septicaemia (blood poisoning). He also has cerebral palsy which affects his movement so he uses a wheelchair outside.

Currently, William is in hospital for a simple tummy bug that is dangerous however for people like William who have had bowel transplants. He will likely be there for some time and could really use some post and gifts to cheer him up!!!

(Picture and majority of information credited to http://www.postpals.co.uk)

July: Featured Pals

Each month I am going to feature two kids on the site who could really use some cheering up right now. This month's kids are Jaz L and William M.

This is Jazmine L. She is 9 and adores Hello Kitty, High School Musical and singing/dancing. She has a little sister called Jessenia, who was 4 yesterday. Here is her story.

Jazmine was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in her femur at only 6 years old. It was discovered that the cancer had spread to her lungs and her family faced the reality that Jaz's cancer could be terminal.

Luckily, Jaz pulled through and the tumours on her lungs disappeared. In November 2009, she was declared cancer free, and her family were elated. Sadly, on the 8th July 2010 it was discovered that her cancer has returned and is terminal. She has compiled a list of all the things she wants to do before she 'gains her angel wings'. Please send her some lovely post and cheer her up.

Here is this month's other Featured Pal: http://postpalsgetinvolved.blogspot.com/2010/07/july-featured-kids-2.html

(Picture and majority of information credited to http://www.postpals.co.uk)

Welcome to my blog!

Hi! I'm Dannii Cugini, and I'm 13. I got the idea to create this blog from looking at my favourite charity's website, postpals.co.uk. It is clear that postpals is not a very well-known charity-often, when they raise money, they don't get 7000 pounds, they get 7. But that is enough to send out 14 postcards. They clearly could use some more people to get involved with the charity, and that is why I am trying to make that happen!