Why I love WellChild - by Joe Pasquale

Joe Pasquale is a funny man – a bringer of laughter who sees the lighter side of most things in life – but Joe is very serious about his support for WellChild.

The much loved comedian and I’m A Celebrity King of the Jungle first became involved with WellChild when he was one of the star guests at the WellChild Awards held at the InterContinental Hotel in London’s Park Lane in September 2009.

There he saw first hand the sort of work WellChild does with seriously ill children and their families throughout the UK and met many of the children who won WellChild Awards for their bravery in the face of suffering.

And Joe came away very moved by the experience. Now he would like to encourage as many people as possible to do what they can to support WellChild.

“I would definitely encourage everyone to give their support to WellChild however they can – that’s what it’s all about!” he said.

Taking time out of his busy schedule rehearsing for his appearance in Christmas panto in Birmingham he cast his mind back to the night of the awards ceremony.

“I thought the WellChild Awards was a really great evening – a fantastic event – I left that evening enlightened and uplifted,” he said.

“I thought the awards ceremony – and the children and families I met - were so inspiring.”

Joe took the time during the event to wander around the reception meeting and talking to many of the families who were there.

“I think when you go to an event like that you really need to put yourself about a bit and go and meet people because that’s what you’re there for!” he said.

Joe knows a little of what it is like to have a sick child – his own daughter suffers from diabetes and has to inject herself with insulin. But he knows too that children are tough and resilient and that they will do their best to cope, given the right help and support.

“My daughter is a diabetic, and, though her health problems are nowhere near as bad as some of the kids WellChild supports, she has to have injections four times a day and she just gets on with it. I think we find it harder as adults sometimes to deal with these things.

“The children just get on with it. For these sick kids sadly it’s their normal way of life and they cope - whereas for us it would be devastating.”

Joe was so touched by the bravery of some of the children he met at the WellChild Awards that he has kept in contact with them in the months which followed. He mentions WellChild Award winner Lyndon Longhorne – a 13 year old who lost both legs and one of his arms to meningitis as a baby, yet who is a keen swimmer with dreams of representing Great Britain in the 2012 Paralympics.

Lyndon’s sunny, optimistic personality touched Joe who rang him and his family following the awards and has stayed in touch with them since. When Joe did his stand-up comedy show in Newcastle recently Lyndon and his family were in the audience as guests of honour.

Joe knows that now is a time when it is very important to support charities like WellChild.

“In this day and age with the way things are economically the charities are suffering as well as everything else so anything that can be done to raise money for WellChild is great!” he said.