We’re in this together

Get Support

Hand in Hand offers a range of practical and emotional support services to support families facing a child’s cancer diagnosis.

Get the Support You Need

Our focus has always been to give these children and their families on-the-ground support to minimise the impact that both the diagnosis and frequent long-distance travel for treatment have on family life. To begin the process, register with Hand in Hand by clicking the button below and filling out the form.

Practical Support

Hand in Hand provides family meal services around the country with the help of local services, supermarket vouchers, and online meal delivery services. Once a family requires help with meals, the Charity works with the family to find the best solution for their needs.

Hand in Hand provide their services in every county in the Republic of Ireland.

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Emotional Support

Hand in Hand is delighted to offer Play Therapy through our in-house play therapist Denise Gordon in our Cancer Support Centre in Loughrea, County Galway. Play Therapy is available through Hand in Hand for families affected by childhood cancer throughout Ireland. This new service is available for children affected by childhood cancer, either their diagnosis or the diagnosis of an immediate family member. Children use play to communicate and play therapy assists them in expressing and working through their feelings.

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How It Works

Hand in Hand is there from the very start, looking after the ordinary while families deal with extraordinary circumstances. By partnering with local professional service providers for essential services, we aim to help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety accompanying a cancer diagnosis and treatment. We offer a range of support and assistance so that no family in Ireland has to face cancer alone.

Practical Support

From household cleaning to family meal services, our practical support services ensure the little things are looked after when a child is diagnosed with cancer so families can focus on the big things like treatment, wellbeing, and spending time together.

Emotional Support

Children and their families often require emotional support through the difficult times a cancer diagnosis brings. We provide play therapy, counselling and more from the point of diagnosis onwards in a caring and supportive environment.

Get Involved

Your involvement, support, and donations can considerably impact the lives of children with cancer and their families across Ireland. The money raised funds our essential services, so your support is much appreciated.

Inspiring Stories

Our daughter Sophie was diagnosed with Bi-Lateral Wilms Tumour (Cancer in both her kidneys) in when she was 16 months old. She underwent 12 months of chemotherapy and 6 sessions of radiotherapy. She had to have both her kidneys removed and started dialysis 3 days a week in Temple Street Children’s Hospital. We traveled from Sligo to Dublin 3 days a week for dialysis. Normal life ceased to exist for us, our entire life revolved around the trips to Dublin for dialysis and in that first year for chemotherapy. We had to put our life on hold and yet try to keep life normal for our oldest child Darragh who was 4 at the time. There was always the constant worry about Sophie and how her treatment & dialysis was going, the endless traveling to Dublin, worrying how Darragh was coping with it all particularly because we had to be away from home so often. We could never plan ahead of anything because you never knew when Sophie would get sick or spike a temperature and we would have to go to Temple Street with her, while Darragh was minded by family members. Thomas took leave from his job for 2 years to travel to Dublin with Sophie.

Meet Sophie

My name is Poppy, I am 9 years old and I’m from Sligo. I like to play with my friends, draw, watch TV and I love animals. My life was good and lots of fun until I was diagnosed with leukemia 9 months ago. This is a type of blood cancer that is not easy to live with. The treatment is for two and a half years and is very harsh. One medicine made my hair all fall out and I was sad and I cried, I now have short hair and I love it, although everyone thinks I’m a boy. The medicine also made me so weak that I ended up in a wheelchair because I couldn’t walk and I was so bad at one stage that my mum had to turn me over in bed because I didn’t have the strength to even move. I also have had to go to theatre over 10 times so far and have had over 10 transfusions as my blood cells can get quite low with the chemo. Me & my mum have to travel to Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin a lot, it’s a nice hospital, we used to have to drive up every week from Sligo for my treatment, but now it’s just every month.

Meet Poppy