Today I spent the day at Spondon Village hall in Derby for a very special reason. My 4 year old cousin Annabelle has been clear of cancer for a whole year, which is the best reason for a party!
We drove there for about 3pm, and it was already busy when we got there. So many people had turned up who have helped Annabelle throughout her treatment such as my Auntie and Uncles' work colleagues, support workers, friends and family. It was lovely to see so much support and celebration all in one room.
There was a buffet that I loved, as it was very tailored to children - complete with dairylea triangles, party rings, dolly mixtures and grapes, and they had rented the local ice cream company for the day, so there were cones and cups available of delicious creamy ice cream in five different flavours. I opted for 2 scoops - one cherry and amaretto, and one vanilla with random chocolate pieces in it, including smarties, wafer and fudge!
There were lots of children there, and therefore plenty of toys and activities for them all to do, including a dress up table, doctors station and big roll of paper to draw things on. It was really nice how cards had been made to explain the activities and the relevance they had to Annabelle, to help the children to understand things a little better.
All along one wall was the whole story about Annabelle's illness, her treatment, recovery and current state, as well as lots of thankyous to people who had done charity work to raise money, looked after Edward and Lawrence (her brothers) and provided emotional support at a critical time. There was also a table with a guest book so we could all write our own messages to her, and it had leaflets with information, and Edwards Feelings Book that he did during her illness, which was insanely cute to read!
We left at around 7pm to drive home, feeling happy after seeing the family (including my sister Jasmine who had travelled from university in Leeds with my cousins who live there) and celebrating a brilliant milestone. As with everything, there is always a risk that it could return, but we are all hopeful that the worst is now over, and Annabelle can continue to grow up as a gorgeous little girl, loving life :)
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