Telford boy meets Her Majesty The Queen to help decorate Clarence House Christmas tree

Local lad, Yasir Arafat, 4, from Telford, attended a festive gathering at Clarence House on Wednesday, along with his mum and his Roald Dahl Nurse Janice, who works at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

The visit was arranged through Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, of which Her Majesty The Queen is the Royal Patron.

Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity provides specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children and Yasir was one of the children supported by Roald Dahl Nurse Specialists invited to help The Queen to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House. The children also enjoyed a surprise visit from Father Christmas and his reindeer, and there was a wonderful performance by The Band and Bugles of The Rifles.

Yasir suffers with sickle cell disorder and has overcome pneumococcal meningitis, which he experienced at only 18 months old. After a month in intensive care, Yasir recovered from the meningitis and has learned to walk again, however the illness has left him profoundly deaf. He now communicates through sign language and has ongoing physiotherapy for his mobility.

His mum, Zainab, explains, “They always say he’s one of the few sickle cell patients to survive pneumococcal meningitis. He’s so lovely, he’s very independent and doesn’t want help, he likes doing things himself and seeing him with that confidence makes me happy.”

Yasir is cared for by his Roald Dahl Nurse Specialist Janice, who supports him and his family. Zainab says, “It’s not just for the sickle cell, Janice supported us for his speech and language, she went to his school to give training, she advises us and encourages me to be strong. I couldn’t do this without Janice.”

Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity raises funds to establish specialist nurses to care for children living with some of the most serious and complex health conditions across the UK. The dedication and expertise of Roald Dahl Nurses reduce A&E visits, hospital admissions and consultant appointments, co-ordinating care and providing a vital lifeline to the whole family.

Louise Griew, Chief Executive at Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity said, “We are so grateful to Her Majesty The Queen for inviting our charity to again be part of such a magical event. Being diagnosed with a serious and complex illness is immensely difficult for a child and their whole family, bringing significant stress and worry. This day provides such a special memory for some of the heroic and brave children we support. It also recognises our marvellous Roald Dahl Nurses who provide vital specialist care to thousands of seriously ill children across the UK.”