A FAMILY has paid for a full day of specialist care at a hospice after raising more than £10,000 in memory of their son.

Steve and Emily Webster’s son, Kieran, battled a brain tumour for ten years and the whole family was supported by Little Havens Hospice, in Benfleet, when Kieran’s condition began to decline.

The family have held a series of fundraisers as well as hosting “Kieran’s Kickabout” and have raised a whopping £10,800 for the hospice.

The family used the cash to fund a full day of care at Little Havens - which provides specialist care and support for babies, children and young people who are living with complex or incurable conditions.

To mark the second anniversary of the 13-year-old’s death, the family paid for a full day of care at the hospice yesterday.

Mum Emily said: “The fundraiser was one year on from when Kieran died.

“We didn’t want it to be a sad day; we wanted to do something in his memory. Kieran always had a knack for bringing people together, which he continues to do.

“By the end of the night, we knew we’d passed our target, which made us smile as we went to bed. It was a really positive weekend in honour of our special Kieran.”

Kieran was a healthy, happy toddler but when he was away on holiday his parents started to notice some changes in how he walked.

When they got home, they went to their GP and were referred to the hospital for scans and tests to rule things out.

However their world came crashing down when Kieran was diagnosed with a bilateral Optic Giloma brain tumour.

Kieran lived with a brain tumour for eight years. but in 2019, his health began to decline, and he was referred to Little Havens by his community nurse.

The family was supported with respite in their own home from the Little Havens Community Team.

Emily said: “This was so valuable. It took the pressure off for a moment and allowed us to have a break from Kieran’s care. They held our hands, wiped our tears, and guided us through what we needed to do, something we would have struggled to have done by ourselves.

“Little Havens’ motto is ‘Making everyday count’, and that’s what they did for Kieran and our family.”

It costs around £7,217 per day per hospice to provide care for all the patients using the charity’s specialist services free of charge.

To find out more, visit www.havenshospices.org.uk/payforaday