This week, we’d like to help a 9 year old boy called Leo, who is a young carer for his mum, Leanne.
Leanne has severe arthritis and asthma. Her support worker said she has no quality of life. She's only young and has struggled to accept her diagnosis, so also has anxiety and depression.
Leanne’s husband cares for her as much as he can, but when he isn’t at home, it falls onto Leo's shoulders to look after his mum and his three younger siblings.
Their support worker said: “Leo does not complain and does what he is asked. He loves his family and helps to care for his younger brothers and sisters and always hugs his mum when she’s sad or upset about her health or the disrepair of the property.”
They’ve been living in a house that is in a terrible state for more than a year – they haven’t even had cooking facilities. After many complaints to the landlord, they were evicted.
Social services has helped them to find a property, but they need lots of things to make it into a home.
They all need beds and warm duvets for winter, as well as drawers for the children’s bedrooms. We'd also like to arrange for some days out for Leo and his siblings, and help Leanne to buy them some extra special Christmas presents.
