A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to support parents of over 300 sick children in hospital this Christmas.

Award-winning charity One Mother to Another is preparing to walk alongside those parents so they won’t face the day alone, preparing to provide 300 special gifts for the mums, dads and caregivers in hospital with their child on Christmas Day.

One Mother to Another co-founder and CEO Joy Reid said, “While we all wish for health and happiness for our loved ones at Christmas, unfortunately for some, who will be separated from family and riddled with stress and fear, that’s not the reality.”

“We don’t want them to feel unseen or invisible. We want them to know they are not alone,” Reid said.

Last year, Christchurch mother Sarah had to choose between spending Christmas morning with her 12-day-old daughter Maeve in Christchurch’s neonatal intensive care unit, or with her five-year-old son James at home — a decision hundreds of parents with a hospitalised sick child have to make over the festive season.

Sarah said, “It was a heart-breaking decision.”

She received a One Mother to Another gift bag at Christmas and said, “It was truly uplifting.”

“Knowing that someone was looking out for us was really special,” she said.

Another mother, Brooke, whose son was born prematurely said, “The pack really gave me a sense of hope when I didn’t have any. I had a lot of questions, a lot of fears and a lot of unknowns and it just reminded me that you can do this. You are strong and capable and you can get through this”.

Zoe, whose son had brain surgery said, “The gift bag was the light that we needed to keep us going.”

During its 12-day crowdfunding campaign (running until November 17), it hopes to raise $7,500 to fund 300 care packages for every primary carer in a neonatal ward in the South Island on Christmas Day as well as other parents/ whānau in the paediatric and mothers and babies wards it regularly supports.

Reid said, “Every bit helps.”

One Mother to Another volunteer co-ordinator Catherine Holland said, “We have a whole community ready to pack these special Christmas care packages, we just need funds to fill them.”

The charity regularly supports 13 hospital wards in the South Island with care packages for whānau in hospital with a sick child, as well as mothers going through their own health journey while juggling motherhood. Each year they give away more than 5,000 care packages.

Click here to donate to the One Mother to Another crowdfunding campaign.