Each time eight-year-old Xander cuddles his teddy bear, he hears a special message: “Every sunset or sunrise, smell the rain, watch the clouds or the stars, try and find me. I’m here.”
They’re the words of his mum, Nicole, who passed away from cancer when Xander was just a toddler.
Mummy’s Wish was there through Nicole’s diagnosis, supporting her, her husband Nick and little Xander.
Xander was just one year old when Nicole was diagnosed with a very rare salivary gland cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma. Nick recalls that when she received the diagnosis, “everything changed”.
“It’s one thing to face a diagnosis such as cancer, but it’s another thing to go through it when you’ve got little kids. How do you have those conversations? Getting that support and guidance and wisdom from a group like Mummy’s Wish was invaluable,” he said.
One way Mummy’s Wish helped was giving Xander his special bear, which he still calls ‘Mummy Bear’.
“The bear has provided a lot of support for us, during those early stages when Nicole was first diagnosed when mummy wasn’t home, when she was in hospital getting treatment,” Nick said.
“But interestingly, following her passing it has continued to be a huge support for us. Xander still has it on his bed now and still presses the button and gets to listen to mummy’s voice.
“It’s really special to have that connection constantly there – it’s one thing that you often really miss is that person’s voice.”
