Clic Sargent and Scarlett Jewellery

The time we spent hanging over the cot of a desperately sick child was, in some respects, mercifully short. While I would have wished for longer with him, the job of a parent is to try to do what is right for a child and in Freddie’s case, making him stay alive to endure endless attempts to will life into him was not what was right. Those 11 days, short as they were, were the longest of my life. There is simply no way to explain the incredible roller coaster that hospital life with a desperately sick child is: just as soon as you begin to get a grip on a treatment, or an element of the challenges they child is facing, everything changes again. You watch so closely, every machine beep, every breath, each morsel of food that is tolerated and they seem like achievements. Next moment a new blood test or a tough few hours of low oxygen and troubled breathing and you hit the depths of despair again. We lived a world of fear and joy in those 11 days, filled with love and hope and crushing terror and pain. We were smart enough to know how desperate things were, but not able to grasp all the drug names and problems that faced our baby son.

We were lucky to be folded into the collective arms of an incredibly compassionate special care unit, where we were the patients nearly as much as Freddie was. They handed us tissues and got us drinks, made sure we slept and ate, called ahead to the ward where I was sleeping on the nights that I was beside myself with fear and weariness so that a midwife would be waiting for me to put me to bed. They talked to us all the time. They were so good that when Ben needed some special care treatment too, nearly two years later, I could only let him go into the arms of one of the nurses who had cared for Freddie and they remembered, reassured, comforted and then came to wave us off when we took him home.

It is that kind of care that makes having a sick child nearly bearable; whether in hospital or in every day life for the chronically ill child and their family. Clic Sargent provide care, help, respite and joy for the families of children with cancer, a service that must be sorely needed by families living under that strain for months and years at a time. It is a charity most worthy of support and one which I can well understand the difference it makes to people lives.

Scarlett Jewellery are donating 15% from all sales from their Yummy Mummy page in the run up to Mother’s Day 2012 to this worthy charity. This gorgeous jewellery, made from solid silver and gold, features their signature Mojo range of message charms. They fit other similar bracelets, such as Pandora Bracelets and can be used to create memory or celebratory jewellery as gifts, absolutely perfect for a special mum. The jewellery comes beautifully gift wrapped, with polishing cloth and an optional gift message service. They are really gorgeous pieces, highly tactile, personal and lovely to wear. I wear very little jewellery but I do love delicate necklaces with meaning and this necklace below really fits the bill.

I was very grateful to be sent this beautiful silver yummy mummy heart necklace by Scarlett, which arrived in some of the most grown up gift box loveliness I have ever received. It is truly delicious to wear and, having looked through the page of Mojo designs, I think it would suit a mum like me, who needed a keepsake treasure, just perfectly. As a Mother’s Day gift it would be something to be really treasured and something that children would enjoy personalising from the range.

Disclosure: I was sent this necklace by Scarlett free of charge and agreed to publish a review of it and publicise their fundraising charity event to raise money and awareness for Clic Sargent. Opinions are my own and as I am always happy to support children’s charity initiatives of this sort, I will make a donation to Clic Sargent as a thank you for the item I received and to support their work for families.