Life as a parent can often be hard, but when Jack was born, everything changed. Charlie and Cally found themselves navigating a whole new world but their volunteer Jane came and saved them from an overwhelming and isolating place. Here's Charlie's side of the story.

Even once we received a diagnosis, we were passed from specialist to specialist, expected to rapidly understand everything, ok testing and treatment without a medical background, coordinate tens of appointments, push for the ones where we fell through the gaps and communicate complex medical detail between specialists – it was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting.

 I will always be extremely grateful to the NHS, but the system isn’t set up for complex multi condition cases like our Jack.

You end up feeling like the only one who sees your child as a whole person, but you lack the medical expertise to understand what the best overall course of action is – it’s a huge responsibility. Even with exceptionally supportive friends and family, you often feel isolated, as you simply can’t accept that the world is carrying on as normal while yours is falling apart. We knew we needed more support, but we didn’t know what that could look like. When we were introduced to Home-Start Butser and matched with Jane, it made a huge difference.

Jane not only helped with looking after Jack, supporting his development through play and activities while keeping him safe and entertained, she supported us as parents. Jane had personal experience deeply relevant to our situation and was able to share that with us, it made us feel far less alone and made things with Jack feel far more manageable.

Jack adores Jane. He is so excited when she arrives. He has certain things that he only plays with her, and he has his routine where he immediately takes her to where he wants her to play with him. It’s lovely to watch, they have a unique bond.

That relationship with Jack means a lot, not just for Jack, but for us too. Having another person in his life that is supporting his development as a whole person makes an immeasurable difference. Home-Start and Jane have been a huge help – not just by being an extra set of hands to help look after Jack, but by supporting us as a family and really understanding what we’re going through. Everyone we’ve interacted with at Home-Start has demonstrated a compassion that is sometimes hard to find in day-to-day life.

We’re just incredibly grateful. I know we wouldn’t be where we are now without Home-Start.