Matthew, from Warwickshire

Matthew, aged 6, from Warwickshire was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and underwent treatment which was completed in 2006.  In addition to the chemotherapy, Matthew also had to undergo surgery, which has left him with lifelong consequences.

Like any 6 year old Matthew is very excited by Christmas, Santa, everything!  A dream was arranged for Matthew and his mum to go to Lapland to spend some time in the snow with the reindeer and, as the highlight, meet Santa.

Holly, from Derbyshire

Holly, aged 8, from Derbyshire (right) suffers from a condition which means, amongst many other symptoms she has a complex congenital heart disorder. Holly has already endured a number of heart operations and in addition has communication difficulties meaning she has to rely on sign language.

Her Grandmother informed us that this year was the first year that Holly had been really excited about Christmas and could she to Lapland?  We arranged for Holly and her mum to meet Santa, reindeer in Lapland, where they had 3 days to enjoy the Christmas magic!

 Whilst there they met another family travelling with us - Matthew - to share the experience with as can be seen in the picture.

Ryan from Yorkshire

Ryan aged, 10 from Yorkshire, suffers from Hunters Syndrome which causes progressive physical and learning disabilities.  Ryan originally applied to us to go to Lapland but due to ill health at the time he was unable to go.  After this disappointment, Jamie and family had a long think about what would make him happy and a trike allowing Ryan to have a sense of independence and be able to go out with his family was exactly what he wanted.  Ryan’s needs were assessed and a trike ordered thanks to the help of Cash Converters.As can be seen Ryan is very happy with it.  Dad has said ‘Just wanted to say a big Thank-You for buying Ryan his Trike. He loves it as you can see from the picture. It also brings us a lot of pleasure to see him so happy

Joshua from Manchester

Joshua aged 6, from Manchester was born premature and suffered a post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus.   This has left him with many problelms. He is completely dependent for his day to day needs on his caring family. 

Dreams Come True, thanks to the generosity of Cash Converters, was delighted to help with a holiday for him.  Joshua and his family had a fabulous week at a campsite in France during which they managed to visit Disney Land Paris - his mum’s email says exactly how much this dream holiday meant to all of them… ‘Joshua loved ‘playhouse Disney live on stage’.  I got a bit choked up watching his face; it was an amazing feeling, I know he loved it I could see it in his eyes. I just wish I knew for sure what he was wanting to say’

Ben from Tyne and Wear

Ben, aged 13, from Tyne and Wear suffers from autism, severe global developmental and other disabilities all of which makes life difficult for Ben.    Ben, his sister Anna and their parents had a fabulous time in Disney

World Florida. Ben particularly enjoyed the TNA Wrestling and going on safari seeing all the animals at Animal Kingdom - in fact h e is presently saving hard so that he can have another trip there. 

As you can see from the card, they really did have a dream come true, thanks to the generosity of cash converters and took part in absolutely everything they could whilst they were away - Ben was totally exhausted every night.

Connor from Pentre

Connor, aged 14, from Pentre, has cystic fibrosis.  This is a debilitating condition which needs dauly treatment.  Connor is a massive Liverpool fan, but due to his condition was never able to attend a game until thanks to the generosity of cash converters Jamie was able to attend Liverpool v Blackburn in April of this year.  Mum said that Connor had an absolutely fantastic time.

Jamie from Clwyd

Jamie, aged 14, from Clwyd,  has Downs syndrome, as well as severe autisim.  Jamie’s condition, his lack of communication and inabiliyt to play  means the buying of toys can be very difficult. One of the things that does give him joy is cycling on his bike.  His parents suggested that a trailer to attach to a bike would enable them to spend time together as a family.  Thanks to the generosity of cash converters we were able to buy the trailer.  Once Jamie adjusts to it they are looking forward to spending some family time together.   As Dad says, it is a fantastically engineered piece of equipment and will last Jamie into adulthood - so long as he Dad has the strength to tow him!  Thank you to cash converters for helping in raising money for this dream.

Anthony, from Northumberland

Anthony is a 19 year old young man from Northumberland whose passion is Formula 1 motor racing. He is a big fan of Lewis Hamilton and his dream was to go to the British Grand Prix, and hopefully see Lewis win.

Anthony suffers from an unusual form of Cerebral Palsy, which affects his whole body, and results in an unusual degree of stiffness and rigidity. As a result of this he cannot feed himself and relies on a gastrostomy (tube into the stomach) for his nutrition. He also suffers from a number of general medical problems as well. Having said that Anthony has always been a cheerful and engaging young man.

We arranged for Anthony and his parents to spend the whole weekend at the Grand Prix, and they had an amazing time. It included grandstand seats at the end of the start line giving them a good view of all the action.  This also gave them the opportunity to take some photos of Lewis as unfortunately he started at the back of the grid.

The family stayed at a local hotel. People from the Santander group were also staying there and one of them gave Anthony a cap and poster signed by Lewis. Anthony was thrilled and has added them to his collection.

Everything about the weekend was wonderful, except for the result, sadly Lewis finished sixteenth. Anthony’s mum wrote and said ‘Dear Dreams Come True, can I just say another massive Thank You from us all for a dream weekend we will never forget, we had the most fantastic time, I have never seen Anthony smile so much in a very long time, you truly made his dream come true.’ Thank you to everyone at Cash Converters for helping to make this dream come True

Jennifer, from Manchester

Jennifer, aged 12, from Manchester has a form of polyglandular autoimmune syndrome where her adrenal gland and thyroid glands are not working well. This is a lifelong condition and she will need to take her medications without fail and make allowances for episodes of illness for which she may need hospital admission.  She has to be extremely vigilant because this is a life threatening illness affecting every day of her life. 

In spite of her condition, Jennifer is remarkably positive about life and her condition.  She is very aware that any stress or minor illness could potentially be fatal. She is a young lady with a fantastic frame of mind and hopes to put her illness experience to help others with a similar condition. Jenny’s dream came true when she went to New York in June.  She was particularly keen to go and visit ‘Ground Zero’ and her mum managed to organise tour to the tribute centre as well as visiting the best tourist bits around New York. As she wrote, she had a  ’once in a life time experience’ thanks to Dreams Come True and Cash Converters.

Jenny is an amazing person with a rare, life threatening condition.  She has set up Jenny’s Pennies Appeal to support the Manchester Children’s Hospital - her generosity and enthusiasm will go a long way to ensuring the future research and improvement in care for others with her illness.

Anna, from Leicester

Anna is 13 years old, from Leicester.  At the age of 11 she was diagnosed with cancer of the retinas.  She was treated with chemo drugs but unfortunately lost one eye. She relapsed in 1998 and now sadly has little sight in the remaining eye. In 2009, the cancer recurred, and once again she was treated with chemotherapy drugs and underwent major surgery to remove the tumour.  Despite Anna’s very considerable disabilities, she remains optimistic and very determined to get everything she can out of life.

Anna has always  been enthusiastic about David Kennard’s work with sheepdogs and her dream was  to spend time with him and to learn about his work.

 Anna had the most wonderful time at the Borough Farm, and David and his family made Anna and her family feel so welcome.  Anna has taken away a lot of super memories and mum stated “it really was a dream come true for Anna” The photo’s say it all.  Thank you to Cash Converters for your support for this dream.

Faith, from Chester

Faith, aged 5, from Chester is an extraordinary little girl who had gone through about 95 operations in her short life and, as a result, has stayed in a children’s hospital for 2 years. She has a condition called Short Bowel Syndrome and at the time of the dream had only been discharged recently from hospital following complications after having routine surgery. 

A trip away for Faith was just what she needed and Dreams Come True, with the assistance of cash converters were delighted to be able organise a holiday away with her brother and sisters to Disneyland, Paris in June 2009. 

They had a marvellous time enjoying all the excitement that Disneyland had to offer - even pulling Excaliber from the Stone - making Faith a very happy little princess.

Chloe from Preston

Chloe, aged 5, is  from Preston.  Sadly Chloe has chronic lung disease and is dependent on oxygen and has to be ventilated at night.  Chloe has had to fight against her condition all her life.  Her twin sister Rebecca sadly died at a week old and the doctor’s told her parents there was little hope for Chloe, and even if she did survive, she would have a poor quality of life.  But little Chloe did fight and proved that they were wrong. 

Chloe’s dream was able to go to Legoland, and they chose to go there two days on the trot.  Chloe was able to go on some of the rides even with her oxygen - she really enjoyed the train and cars but particularly enjoyed the show and getting her heroes badge.  This really was a dream for Chloe and her parents are planning to take her back again.

Lee from Northern Ireland

Lee, aged 8, from Northern Ireland has suffered two strokes for which the causes are still unknown.   Tiernan also suffers from autisim.  All of this means that Tiernan’s and his family’s lives are never free from anxiety. 

Like any other kid, Tiernan is mad keen on cars one of his favourites being the ‘General Lee’ from the Dukes of Hazzard.  Amazingly, we manage to find a replica and, thanks to the kindness of the company which owns the vehicle, we arranged for a visit.  The visit was kept a secret from Tiernan until he arrived home.  According to Mum he simply could not believe that the car was outside his house.  The dream got even better when he was allowed a ride and sounded the famous ‘Dixie’ horn many, many times!  Yeehaaa!

Thanks to the generosity of Cash Converters we were able to realise this dream.  As Mum said ‘You have made a young boy very happy!’

Tom from Manchester

Tom, 11 years old from Manchester, was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in January 2006. Tom’s father became his fulltime carer for the 3 year programme of chemotherapy; this treatment has now finished and Tom is now in remission.  Tragedy has struck twice in Tom’s short life; in 2004 his mother was diagnosed with cancer and died that year.  The last family holiday they was in Tenerife, and Tom’s dream was to go back to Tenerife with his father and brother to re-live the good and happy memories of their holiday with mum. Tom knew nothing about his dream request being put forward and that they would be travelling in January 2009. As part of his Christmas present dad wrapped up some sun cream, Tom’s look of puzzlement turned to delight when dad explained that they would be going to his dream location, Tenerife. Tom had a wonderful holiday, he remained in good health all week, his father said ‘he returned in much better health physically, mentally and emotionally’. In Tom’s words ‘I had a wonderful time, my best bit of the holiday was a Siam Park the biggest water park in Europe.  There were adrenalin rushes, water park, sea lions and rapids.  Luckily I didn’t get poorly’.  As we all agree we would want it to stay that way for Tom for the foreseeable future.  Thank you to Cash Converters for helping to fund this dream.

Alex from Leicester

Alex 16, from Leicester is a young man with Down’s Syndrome and Bronchiectsis (chronic lung disease) which means Alex requires numerous medications on a daily basis, chest physiotherapy and regular hospitalisation for intravenous antibiotics to keep him well. Due to Alex’s condition, his understanding of his health problems is hard to explain and he often finds it all too much.

Alex is a lovely young lad who, over the last couple of years, needs an increasing amount of input and the plan for the future is for more intensive therapy. 

Alex’s dream was to have a surprise trip to a show. Thanks to Cash Converters, he went to see the Lion King show at the Lyceum Theatre, London with his sister, Mum and Dad.  They had a fantastic time.  The whole family were able to spend the night in the superb Bloomsbury Hotel and the show was spectacular - Alex truly had a dream come true.  His mum commented ‘Thank you so much for a wonderful weekend, it was the best medicine anyone could give to Alex, he hasn’t stopped talking about it.’

Andrew from Norfolk

Andrew, 13, from Norfolk and suffers from Crohn’s Disease.  This is a very unpredictable condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract He will be on treatment for the rest of his life to try and keep it under control.  Twelve months ago Andrew was so ill the hospital had to put him on an experimental new drug to stop him wasting away, however as you can see it has helped him enormously and in his 8 weekly infusions allow him to lead a more normal life. Andrew’s dream was to meet Metallica.  He is learning to play the electric guitar and is a big fan of the band and their music.  With the help of Metallica’s UK office and New York office we were able to arrange for Andrew to meet the band before their show at The 02 Arena on 2^nd March.  They were given their own room backstage in which to meet the band.  Andrew had taken his guitar along in the hope the band would sign it.  First to arrive was Kirk.  He chatted with Andrew and asked him how long he’d been playing and what he liked to play.  Kirk was joined a little later by Robert.  He too chatted with Andrew and then both posed for photos and signed his guitar, t-shirt and programme.  Just before Kirk left he gave Andrew some guitar picks as a souvenir.  Next to arrive was James.  He tuned Andrew’s guitar for him and then asked him to play.  Seeing the photo of them together, their faces say everything.  Last to arrive was Lars.  He offered the family their own special place in the mosh pit if they would like it, but they said they were happy with the seats they’d been given because these were near the stage. Andrew’s mum said the concert and the meet had been so much more than they had expected.  It is a day they will never forget and wanted to thank everyone involved for all their help.  With great thanks to Cash Converters for being able to facilitate this dream.

Jemiah from West Yorkhire

Jemiah aged 4 from West Yorkhire, suffers from Wolf-Hirschorn syndrome, a complex condition causing Jemiah significant physical and mental disability.  The family recognised that a Rocking Horse upon which a seat for Jenmiah could be fitted would give Jemiah enjoyment and thanks to the assistance of Harry Cridland of the ‘Ringlow Rocking Horse Company’ a Rocking Horse was handmade for Jemiah and a seat fitted so she could enjoy the ride!

Max, age 3

Max, aged 3, from the West Midlands has undergone a long battle against Leukaemia and his wish was also to go to Disney to see all his favourite characters. This we achieved in June and they all had a fantastic time, thanks to the help of Cash Converters. Max and his family were also part of group of parents and children who were invited to visit No10 to celebrate our 20th Anniversary in June 2008. A great occasion for the family and Charity.

Adam, age 11

Adam is an 11 year old young boy with Down’s syndrome from Northern Ireland. As a consequence of his condition, he has major problems with his speech and communication. He tends to communicate with his peers and adults by pointing, gesturing or nodding his head.

His dream was to go on holiday with his family to a cottage in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

Thanks to Cash Converters, not only was Dreams Come True able to help with the holiday in Ireland but Adam managed to ride a horse every morning – something he really enjoys – as well as going swimming, bowling, going to the cinema and loads of other activities during his holiday with his brothers and sisters.

He especially enjoyed going on the bumper cars with his brother Daniel. It is hard to tell who is having the most fun.

Josselin, age 2½

2½ year old Josselin is from Wiltshire and suffers from Charge Syndrome. This means that she is profoundly deaf and registered blind. She is no longer able to eat or drink and is fully tube fed. She is unable to sit-up, walk or crawl.

Despite all her medical conditions and hospital visits, she really is a happy girl and loves playing with shiny things.

Josselin attends a hospice and her favourite things to play with are items that have bright lights in them or anything that vibrates. Thanks to Cash Converters, Dreams Come True was able to provide a fibre optic wall carpet and a vibroacoustic lounger chair.

The lights have been put near Josselin’s bed and she watches them for hours. She truly enjoys sitting on her chair feeling music coming through it – she also likes nibbling on the remote control!

Lewis, age 12

Lewis, aged 12 is from Warwickshire. All his life has been beset with profound medical problems. He has had heart surgery and has only one kidney. His condition has reduced growth and he has severe spinal deformity.

In the future, Lewis will need to have more major surgery to correct the scoliosis in his spine. Lewis loves Status Quo and his Gran had previously taken him to a concert. His ultimate dream was to meet Francis Rossi and the rest of the band.

In December 2008, Dreams Come True were able to organise tickets for Lewis, his Gran, Mum and Dad to once again go and see Status Quo at the LG Arena in Birmingham and Lewis and his family actually got to meet the band as well as seeing them again playing live.

He had a fantastic time and his mum said that the memories will be with all of them forever. It was a very special occasion for all of them but particularly for Lewis – he managed to get all their autographs and took loads of photos.

Just after Christmas, he received the news that a date had been arranged for a further spinal operation and Lewis will be incapacitated for the foreseeable future. The experience of meeting Status Quo will get the through the difficult time ahead.

Sahar, age 6

Sahar, a six year old from East Sussex who suffers from Leukaemia. Her dream was to visit Thailand and spend a holiday with her cousins. Sahar has had a really difficult few years with an intensive chemotherapy regime involving many hospital visits and severe disruption to family life. Spending time with her family was very important and Sahar made the best of it as you can see from the photo.

Sahar went to Bangkok where she had a wonderful time going round the markets and canals, then to the River Kwai where as you can see from the photos Sahar went to a tiger sanctuary, went bathing with elephants and then on to Pukhet beach, where after all the activity Sahar was able to relax and swim. The highlight of the swimming was that Sahar lost her tooth in the Andaman sea! A very important event for a 6 year old!

Luuk, age 3

A lovely young boy aged only 3 called Luuk ,has multiple complex needs and is completely tube fed. As at the time of his dream, Luuk was awaiting an operation before Christmas.

Luuk’s Dream was to go to Thomas Land at Drayton Park and meet Thomas the Tank Engine & friends and have lots of fun. Luuk loves to watch Thomas & friends on TV all the time.

Thanks to Cash Converters he and his family had two days at Thomas Land and had a great time. He was so excited all he wanted to do was go back-forward on Thomas and Percy. He had a fantastic time and it really brought Thomas & Friends alive for Luuk

Anandi, age 17

Anandi is a 17 year old young lady from Northamptonshire who has Leukodysdrophy and Quadriparesis. Her condition means she is totally dependent and needs 24 hour care.

Anandi’s dream was to go and visit family and friends in South Africa. Thanks to Cash Converters her dream came true when Anandi and her mum Judy flew to Johannesburg.

Upon their return Judy sent a beautiful collage of photos of Anandi enjoying her trip away and a lovely letter stating:

“A huge thank you from both me and Anandi for your generous contribution towards our visit to South Africa. We really appreciate if from the bottom of our hearts.”

Jack, age 7

Jack, 7 years old from Staffordshire, is undergoing treatment for leukaemia. His dream was to go to Disney land Paris. Mum managed to keep the trip a complete surprise for Jack until they were at the train station ready to go in June. They had a fantastic time. Once at Disneyland, Jack was treated like royalty - his autograph book is full and he went on as many rides as he possibly could. Mum said “Thank you all so much for giving Jack the holiday of a lifetime. He had the most amazing time and it really was a massive surprise for him. Keep up the good work”. Thank you to Cash Converters for their help in making this dream come true!

Ryan, age 15

Ryan, aged 15, from Lancashire, suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy a progressive condition which also means Ryan is confined to an electric wheelchair. Ryan’s dream was to enjoy the simple pleasure of having a family holiday together with Centre Parcs being the favourite destination.

Ryan and his family went on their holiday in April (during the only good weather we had all last year!) and had a great time. Thank you to Cash converters for making this dream come true!

Shane, age 20

Shane, aged 20, from Staffordshire has endured a long battle against Hodgkins disease, his dream was a simple one, a laptop that would enable him to keep in contact with all his friends, Shane was able to choose his own laptop back in May thanks to the generosity of Cash Converters

Joy, age 12

Joy, aged 12 from Birmingham suffers from Cerebral Palsy and finds the mobility offered by an adapted trike enables her to enjoy her time with her friends and family more and enables her to do the things that other children take for granted. The trike was delivered to Joy in June in time for the summer, thanks to Cash Converters.

Dalton, age 14

14 year old Dalton from Tyne and Wear had his dream come true when he went to watch a WWE wrestling match and got to meet his hero afterwards.

Dalton has a complex medical condition which affects the formation of muscles.

Brooklyn, age 4

Brooklyn aged 4 is a fabulous young girl from Fife. She has many problems, ranging from chronic lung disease, to severe delayed development.Her dream was simple, to have a safe haven unit and mattress so that she had a place where she could play without hurting herself.

This has made an incredible difference with day to day playtime – pictures say a thousand words and you can tell just what this means to Brooklyn.

Leanna, age 20

Leanna, 20 years old, from Worcestershire suffers from cerebral palsy affecting her whole body, confining her to a wheelchair. Leanna achieved her dream while staying with friends in Florida.

To use Leanna’s words “I had the time of my life swimming with the dolphins. It has really made a difference to me, and my life back in the U.K., my confidence has doubled, my outlook on life is very positive and I am even planning to write a book on holidays that are disability friendly.”

A new chapter in her life has opened, thanks to her self-motivation, the dolphins and Cash Converters who made it all possible!

Kate, age 8

Kate who is 8 years old lives in West Yorkshire and has cerebral palsy, scoliosis and developmental delay. Last year she had a really tough time enduring surgery and had a marked deterioration in her condition. Being transformed into a princess for the day at Disneyworld Florida has given her and her family memories to last forever.

Felicia, age 11

Felicia was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2004 for which arduous and difficult treatment is still ongoing. Her Dream was to meet Simon Cowell at the X Factor. Even when the Limo appeared to pick her up she still had no idea as to where she was going until she arrived at the studios. Simon Cowell could not have been nicer, and sat with her on the judging panel watching the contestants as they prepared for Saturday’s show. She also got the chance to meet Dermot O’leary, Louis Walsh and Danni Minogue. Sharon Osbourne spoke to her about her own experiences with cancer. It was a long day for Felicia, but the dream had been achieved. Since then Felicia has talked about little else and her school even put together a display about her dream.

Helen, age 17

Helen is 17 years of age and as mentally active as any other 17 year old. At age 11 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which is extremely rare for one so young. Up until that point she has been an active girl who had enjoyed sports, however, as the disease has progressed, she has lost all mobility and now relies on others for her physical needs. One of the most distressing aspects for Helen and her family is that she has lost the power of speech, which means she could not for example express herself easily when she was uncomfortable. Now however, a computer has been purchased for Helen with a synthesised voice and various toggles and switches, enabling her to talk and do things such as turn lights on and adjust the volume on her television. It has made an immense difference to Helen’s quality of life.

Cameron, age 3

Cameron suffers with a Brain Tumour which could result in a potentially fatal seizure. Understandably this places the family under great stress and the dream was to be able to go away on a holiday and do things together as a family, something they had never had the chance to do. A holiday was duly booked at Centre Parcs and the family had a great time, especially Cameron who explored every nook and cranny of the Park.

All of our dreams provide such special and magical memories for families and gives them a really positive focus. It’s also a release for them from the traumas of their illness. Thanks to you we’ve been able to put smiles on these children’s faces and continue to make many more dreams come true for seriously and terminally ill children.