52 Lives

#371 Agnes

Request: Donations / Gifts / Get Well messages

This week, we’d like to help a single mum with breast cancer who is living in extreme poverty. Agnes has four children and was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 months ago. She has had surgery, radiotherapy and is having chemo at the moment. She comes home from her treatment to sleep on a mattress on the floor with her two eldest children.

She is not eligible for many benefits due to her visa conditions and her ex-partner is not providing any support for her or the children, so she is now receiving a 'destitution allowance' from the local authority. She had previously been working and managing to support herself, but had to stop when her health worsened.

It's become too much for Agnes to care for the children on her own and so her older children often take on a caring role for both her and their younger siblings. She was nominated by her social worker who said: “The children had been living in very poor conditions prior to coming to the attention of Social Care and caring for their mother has started to affect their education.”

Social Care has been able to provide counselling for the children and some practical support, but it's not enough. We’d like to do everything we can to support Agnes and her children – firstly, by making sure their living conditions are warm and comfortable so she can focus on getting well.

What We Need

1. Donations: We'll use your donations to make them more comfortable in their home, with proper beds to sleep in and warm bedding. We'll also make sure they have enough food, warm clothes and any other essentials they need.

2. Gifts: We've set up a small wishlist with some things for their home, as well as gift cards. To buy a gift, please click on the link below. The gifts will be sent to us this week to pass along to the family. If the list is empty, please consider making a financial donation instead.

3. Get Well cards/messages: We'd love to send Agnes some get well cards and messages to let her know she's not alone. To send a message by email, please write it in the form below (your contact details will not be shared) or by post to 52 Lives (Agnes), PO Box 3154, Reading, RG1 9AT.

Buy a Gift
Make a Donation

What We Did

Thanks to all of you, they all have proper beds, warm bedding and wardrobes. They also have a cooker, a washer dryer and the children have desks. We also provided grocery vouchers and clothing vouchers.

Agnes said, “Thank you so much to everyone that has contributed to helping my children and I. You have improved our lives more than you can imagine. Your acts of kindness has put so many smiles on our faces and warmth in our hearts. My children can now sleep comfortably and the little ones can finally bake all their dream cakes. The kind words everyone has sent have really brought us comfort and courage. We appreciate your support, may God bless you all.”