A 10-year-old girl who was able to say goodbye to her nanny before she died is raising money to buy an iPad for those who are being robbed of the final farewell.
Summer Rogers, who attends Wroughton Junior Academy in Gorleston, has set herself the goal of “helping inpatients connect with their loved ones from afar”.
She said: “When my nanny had pancreatic cancer and died two years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to go to see her and say goodbye.
“A lot of people don’t have that privilege because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Summer will be donating 10 inches of her hair to the Little Princess Trust as part of her endeavours, and hopes when normal life resumes the iPad can help elderly patients at the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston stay in touch with family and friends.She said: “I want to give my hair to the Little Princess Trust to help other children who can’t grow their own for different reasons.“But through that I want to raise £400 to buy an iPad. It has to go to the JPH because they were the ones who looked after my nanny, and they’re helping save so many people who are sick now.”
According to her mum Tess, the whole Rogers family are “serial fundraisers” - and organise multiple community events through their Facebook Group ‘It’s All About the Kidz’. Donations can be made via the Facebook page.
Ms Rogers said that when she lost her only parent in 2018 she suffered a mental breakdown and requried intervention from a psychiatric team.
“My family saw how much I was suffering and wanted to give something back to all those who brought me out of a dark place,” she said.
“My husband and son, who was 13 at the time, raised over £3,000 for Mind, and since my mum died, we’ve raised £7,500 in 16 months for various causes.
“My mum’s journey from diagnosis to death was so short - just six weeks - and I can’t imagine what it would have been like not being able to visit her in that time.
“The JPH staff let me stay over and I was so lucky to be by her bedside when she passed away.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here