Family focus

At our Butterfly Ball in London on 29 November 2008 we were privileged to welcome Martin Spinelli as our guest speaker. Martin explained that prior to September 2006 he had never heard of the Rhys Daniels Trust but events of the 7th September changed that in the most tragic circumstances imaginable.

Martin was away from home at a conference in Sunderland when he received the terrible news that his wife Sasha and 4 year old son Lio had been involved in an horrendous car accident which claimed the life of Sasha and left Lio fighting for his life.

Returning to London Martin rushed to Lio’s bedside at King’s College Hospital. As Martin explained he found his son “clinging to life in intensive care surrounded by a halo of computer screens.”

The hospital had provided Martin and Lio’s grandparents with a stiflingly hot tiny prison cell of a room with two little beds where they tried and failed to catch some much needed sleep and where they struggled to come to terms with the loss of Sasha and pray for Lio’s recovery.

After 5 agonising days it became clear that Lio was going to survive but would need to spend months in hospital. It was at this point that Martin and his family learned of the work of the Rhys Daniels Trust when they were offered a 'Home from Home' within walking distance of the hospital and which they could use, free of charge, whilst Lio was undergoing treatment.

Martin remembers the day he first saw the one bedroom apartment:

“I was never so grateful for accommodation in my entire life and I have never been more thankful for a place to stay than the Rhys Daniels Trust 'Home from Home'. That night, as Lio’s grandparents watched over him, I got my first decent night’s sleep in days.

That impossibly difficult situation, certainly the darkest days of my entire life, was made much more bearable by having a place to stay away from the noise , chaos and pain of the hospital. Every morning I would wake up refreshed and energized, ready to meet with doctors, solicitors and police and ready to give my maximum attention to Lio in his rehab therapy sessions.

Having that apartment out in the real world, having a place to rest outside of the hospital helped me tremendously to stay focused on the goal of getting Lio better and getting on with our lives.”

As Martin’s speech drew to a close he proudly introduced the audience to his adorable son Lio – who local newspapers in Martin’s home town of Lewes, Sussex refer to as Lewes’ Little Miracle.

Lio is doing marvellously well in year 2 of his primary school. He is tremendously happy and extremely popular. He is playing the violin, piano and fast becoming a master at the Diablo.

Please help fund our vital 'Home from Home' Appeal so we can continue to help families and children just like Lio. Please click here to Donate.