Jude Mellon-Jameson was a bright, imaginative and fun-loving child, full of curiosity and joy. He had a passion for life. He adored dinosaurs, ballet, animals, sequins, collecting treasures and above all, he loved reading stories.
In July 2021, just before his third birthday, Jude began to suffer from pain in his hip and leg, sometimes struggling to walk. He underwent an MRI scan, and that evening his family were told the scan had revealed a mass. It was later confirmed as high-risk neuroblastoma.
Neuroblastoma is a cancer of the specialised nerve cells involved in the development of the nervous system and other tissues. It accounts for 6% of childhood cancer cases in the UK, with around 95 children diagnosed each year.
“It’s clear that all the staff we met at the hospital, whatever their role, have a special commitment to their patients that doesn’t finish when they go home.” - Jude’s mum, Lucy
Throughout Jude’s treatment, he and his family fundraised for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity to say thank you for the care he received.
Lucy said: “The diagnosis took a lot of our power away, but fundraising was a way of doing something that would not only help Jude and us, but also many other families now and in the future.”
Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity supports Sheffield Children’s to change lives every day by going above and beyond NHS provision. Funds raised help provide life-saving equipment, enhanced facilities, a comfortable environment, and vital research that transforms paediatric care for children from all over the world.
This includes support for the hospital’s Haematology and Oncology ward, which Jude spent a lot of his final years on.
Back in 2021, before the new ward was completed, Lucy said: “We are determined to ensure the new ward has everything it needs to make stays much more comfortable, particularly for those who spend months in treatment there.”
One of the many fundraising efforts supporting the ward was an online raffle. What began as a small hamper draw at a football tournament quickly grew, thanks to the incredible kindness of friends, family, and local businesses. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, where Jude’s dad Arron Mellon-Jameson is a former goalkeeper, also pledged their support. The raffle raised over £5,000.
Lucy’s friend Hannah, who works in the Inpatient Pharmacy Department at Sheffield Children’s and is a close friend of the family, also joined the fundraising effort. She took on Theo’s 30 in 30 challenge, doing a form of exercise every day for 30 days. Her efforts helped support the appeal to transform the ward where Jude was treated.
That transformation is now complete, thanks to Jude’s family and thousands of incredible patients, supporters, and fundraisers like you. Together, we raised £2.75 million.
The new ward, which fully opened in 2022, supports children like Jude by making their time in hospital a little bit easier.
Many children, those with cancer, leukaemia, or blood disorders, may spend weeks or months on the ward. Now it’s almost double the size of its predecessor, so there’s more space for families to stay close, with improved facilities for parents and carers who are staying at their child’s bedside.
None of this would have been possible without the support of a community that stood behind Jude and thousands of people like him and his friends, and family who work tirelessly to support us.
Help transform paediatric care for the thousands of children and young people who are supported by Sheffield Children’s every year by making a donation or fundraising for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity
