13 June 2019

André shares the story behind the Theodora Children's Charity

“Théodora was a happy, funny, always optimistic person. She exuded this positive energy which she would give to everyone she met. She was open to everyone and comfortable with everyone. And always incredibly kind-hearted.

I’ve always tried to replicate that; everyone is a VIP. We try to do this in the charity too: if someone rings we always try to stop everything, listen and be available.

Jan and I had a wonderful childhood – always allowed to just be kids. We were allowed to play, be silly, come home covered in dirt. My mum always encouraged us to live in the moment – pointing out joy in very simple things.

One day we decided to cut the lawn… but I cut my foot. Very badly as it turns out. My dad rushed me to the hospital – where they narrowly saved my life and my foot but only through many months of hospitalisation and 14 operations over the span of two years.  

My mum would come to see me every day – from the first to the very last minute of visiting hours. She entertained me with games, with singing, and, most importantly, by sparking my imagination. She transported me – allowed me to escape from that hospital bed. For those three short hours, my mind was somewhere else. 

Those were truly magical moments. She had such an immense positive energy that would remain in the room and sort of float around it even after she’d gone. That helped me so much because as visiting hours ended, the medics had to work on my wound – cleaning, re-bandaging… It was awfully painful but I had the best possible painkiller: an imagination fired up by the enthralling stories that my mum had left behind.

Jan and I wanted that positive energy to live on, so we decided to use some of the money our parents had left us to start a charity in memory of our mum. We’d had such a lovely childhood, and we wanted to share that and give joy to children who need it.

We recruited the artists we needed to be our Giggle Doctors, and they carried out the first special visits to children in a Swiss hospital. This was followed by the first official visits to children in Great Ormond Street Hospital. These took place on our mum’s birthday, on 20 April 1994, and marked the moment the charity officially began.  

I’m always in awe of our Giggle Doctors. They work in a challenging setting, full of crucial rules that need to be respected around hygiene and safeguarding. But within those parameters, they actually have an amazing amount of freedom to transport children away from their hospital bed and into a magical world.

Because it’s not just about laughter – it’s about opening a window in a child’s imagination and enabling them to escape for a while; to take their mind off the time they have to spend in hospital. For some children, it might be the first time they’re spending a night away from home. And their senses are bombarded by the bleach, beeps, and lights of the hospital bay – strangers are prodding and watching them. It’s scary and intimidating.

I feel so honoured to have some wonderful people surrounding me in this adventure. The children we help – who join in with us on this journey so willingly and with such heart-warming joy. The Giggle Doctors themselves – who confront their own emotions in order to change lives. And you – our amazing supporters. Because of you, we’ve been able to reach out to more than a million people over the last 25 years. We couldn’t have done that without you.

Please stay with us to keep this positive energy spreading and growing. With your help, we know we can reach so many more children who need us.”

If you would like to support us, click here.

The difference the Giggle Doctors made for Nell

Next article