Today on National Siblings Day, Jessie May is shining a light on the often-overlooked experiences of siblings of children with life-limiting conditions.
While many children look forward to springtime adventures and lighter evenings, the reality for some is very different. Their days are shaped not by trips to the park, or a beach, or after-school clubs, but by hospital visits, medical equipment, and quiet sacrifices made in support of a brother or sister with complex health needs.
These siblings show incredible strength, compassion, and patience at a young age – qualities that deserve recognition and celebration today and every day.
“Sandy beaches aren’t very wheelchair friendly,” says Jo Snow, a Bristol based mother of three. “And when you’re looking after a child who has complex medical needs, the time you spend with your other children is severely limited. No pushing them on the swings or taking them to an amusement park, because there’s a child whose needs supersede theirs. The brothers and sisters of a child with a life-limiting condition have a very different childhood to other children.”
Jo’s daughter Stella was born in 2009 with a life-limiting condition, and Jo and her husband Brad went on to have two other children, Lexi (14) and Felix (11).
“Knowing Stella’s time with us was going to be short, made it even more important that we made lasting memories with her and for her,” says Jo. “But it was important to make those memories with Lexi and Felix too. They only get one shot at childhood, even though, unlike Stella, they could look forward to adulthood as well. And you find yourself thinking, this time is so important for all three of them, but the formative years of two of them are being heavily impacted by the medical needs of Stella.”
Stella died in 2023, aged just (14). Jo’s family was supported throughout Stella’s life and beyond by Jessie May.
“I was worried that it would feel a bit invasive, nurses coming into our home, but the Jessie May staff soon became part of the furniture, and the nature of their support meant that I could spend precious one-to-one time with each of my other two children, knowing Stella was in the safest of hands – and in a place where she felt very safe too,” says Jo.
“Jessie May gave us the opportunity to make at least some of the memories that other families might take for granted,” says Jo. “Lexi and Felix have had a different childhood from many other kids, but the care shown to Stella meant that they didn’t miss out altogether.”
This National Siblings Day, Jessie May is celebrating the strength and compassion of siblings like Lexi and Felix – and calling on the public to help ensure no child or family faces this journey alone.
To support Jessie May’s work and help more families like theirs, go to Support us | Jessie May to donate, fundraise, or find out more.