Bob Woodward’s son Robert was diagnosed in 1974 with stage four neuroblastoma at the age of eight.
It was the start of a journey for the family which has had far-reaching consequences for the lives of many young people affected by cancer to this day.
Bob’s daughter Rachel Woodward Carrick tells The i Paper: “Back in those days, survival rates for childhood cancer were around 30 per cent.
“Progress wasn’t great. There was a question as to whether you even told your child they have something life-threatening.
“People would still say ‘Oh, I didn’t know children could get cancer'”
Treatment was designed around adults, hospital units were set up for adults and the families of young cancer patients were very much an after-thought.
Bob, a property developer in Bristol, saw all this first-hand and decided to do something about it.
In 1976, he founded the charity CLIC – Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood – to improve the care and support for families facing childhood cancer.
It joined forces with the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children to become CLIC Sargent in 2005, then later changing its name to Young Lives vs Cancer.
Rachel (right) with parents Bob and Judy and brothers Robert (left) and James (centre) (Photo: Young Lives vs Cancer)Rachel says: “What struck my parents was there wasn’t anything specifically for children with cancer.
“Bristol Royal Hospital for Children was a centre for cancer treatment.
“Parents would travel to it from all over the South West, the Channel Islands and they would end up sleeping in the corridors, they were having to split up the family and they would have to give up their work to be with their children.”
The first thing Bob decided to do was create a home away from home for these families suddenly transplanted to Bristol under already distressing circumstances.
“He had bought a bungalow just down the road to redevelop”, says Rachel, “They set it up as a Home from Home.
“It was somewhere people could stay for free.”
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As demand for this facility grew, the charity purchased three adjoining Georgian townhouses in Cotham, Bristol, near the children’s hospital and converted them into a new Home from Home property which is still in use today as CLIC House.
It offers a place for families to stay and relax when a young person is in hospital and a place the young person can go to be with their family outside the hospital ward.
Other projects the charity began funding included a dedicated paediatric oncology unit at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, a first chair of paediatric oncology in the UK and a CLIC research unit at the University of Bristol.
“Looking back it seems like there was a lot which needed to be done,” says Rachel, “It was pioneering work.
“It grew from there and got bigger and bigger.”
The Home from Home in Bristol turned into a network of similar venues across the UK, with 10 now in operation offering accommodation for children and young people, and their families going through treatment.
“It went from being quite local to becoming a South West charity and then it went nationwide”, says Rachel, “There were branches all over the country.”
Bob Woodward was appointed an OBE in 2014 for his charity work (Photo: Young Lives vs Cancer)This year The i Paper is supporting Young Lives vs Cancer with its Christmas Appeal, aiming to raise £100,000 to ensure the charity can continue to provide support for children, young adults and their families as they cope with a cancer diagnosis.
Bob was CEO of the charity for more than 20 years, raising more than £100m for charity and appointed an OBE by the Queen in 2014.
“Dad just devoted himself 24/7, 365 days a year to CLIC,” says Rachel, “That was pretty much his life.
“I think he just felt there was so much potentially to be done.”
His fundraising drive was matched by his motivation to support every family on a personal level.
“If there was someone in Cornwall who needed to get to the hospital in Bristol, he would drive down there and pick them up,” says Rachel.
Bob’s son Robert Woodward died in 1977 at the age of just 11.
But his short life was the inspiration for the family to “change the world of the child with cancer”.
Rachel says the work has grown from the lived experience of her and many other families (Photo: Rebecca Cresta Photography)After her father died in January 2019, Rachel picked up the mantel, becoming voluntary vice president of Young Lives vs Cancer and continuing his legacy.
“Childhood cancer can happen to any family, sadly,” she says, “It’s an awful situation to suddenly find yourself in.
“Young Lives vs Cancer is a charity which gets right to the heart of the issue, supporting the young person and helping them understand what is going to happen and offering wellbeing and practical support to take care of the family through what will be a very difficult, uncertain and distressing time.
“It’s all grown from the lived experience of our family and many other families who have been affected in the last 50 years.”
A Home for Christmas appeal
The i Paper is proud to support Young Lives vs Cancer through its Christmas Appeal, A Home for Christmas, helping to make a lasting difference for families with children facing cancer.
The appeal aims to raise £100,000 to ensure the charity can continue providing vital, tailored support – from financial guidance and emotional care to its “Homes from Home” accommodation centres, which allow families to stay together near hospital during treatment.
To donate, visit younglivesvscancer.org.uk/i-appeal or text IPAPERTEN to 70580 to donate £10 or IPAPERTWENTY to donate £20.*Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.
What your money could buy
£5 could print five storybooks to help a child understand the cancer treatment they are having. £10 could buy food so families can cook a meal to enjoy together away from the hospital canteen. £18 helps power a Home from Home for a day. £52 means a social worker could provide emotional and practical support (such as applying for financial help or attending difficult appointments) so children and their families don’t have to face cancer alone. £70 could pay for a family stay in a Young Lives vs Cancer Home from Home so they can be near their child in hospital with cancer. £100 could fund a hardship grant for families.Hence then, the article about parents sleeping in hospital corridors drove one family to change world of childhood cancer was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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