For there is still such a lot to do

Guest Blog by Gail Featherstone
Gail Featherstone is the wife of the former British High Commissioner to Malaysia His Excellency Simon Featherstone CMG. Gail authored the delightful children’s book ‘Mr Monty’s Treat’ with proceeds from the sale of the book divided between Hospis Malaysia and East Anglia Children’s Hospices in the UK.
My own family has been much blessed by the work of the hospice movement in the UK and, like many others, it was only when I witnessed first-hand the love and care of palliative care teams in homes and hospices that I came to realise the full value of the work they do amongst life-limited adults and children. So it was an enormous privilege to witness the launch of the first ever paediatric palliative care programme in Malaysia in September 2012. My dear, late husband, Simon Featherstone, who himself died in a hospice just last August, was at that time the British High Commissioner to Malaysia.
I wish to pay particular tribute to the inspiring leadership of Dr Ednin Hamzah and his team at Hospis Malaysia, who have paved the way for improved children’s palliative care services, not just in Malaysia, but in the whole of the surrounding region. Her Royal Highness, Raja Zarith of Johor, the Malaysian Royal Patron of the children’s palliative care programme, also deserves rich recognition for her quiet but tireless efforts to expand and improve care for children with life-limiting illnesses in Johor and beyond.
DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE CHILDRENS HOSPICE ADVOCACY
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, herself the Royal Patron of East Anglia Children’s Hospices in the UK chose to give her first ever speech abroad at Hospis Malaysia and it has been a particular joy to witness ongoing collaboration between EACH and Hospis Malaysia.
It is my hope and prayer that such links as these will continue and – together with the release of this wonderful and inspiring series of films – will lead to genuinely significant improvements in world-wide children’s palliative care in the years ahead.
For there is still such a lot to do.
OTHER NEWS
Little Stars Launched in South Africa
WORLD Hospice and Palliative Care Day was on 10 October, and to celebrate and mark the occasion, the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and local organisation Umduduzi – Hospice Care for Children, hosted the premiere of...
Children’s Palliative Care- Guest Blog by Sue Boucher
Those of us who work in children's palliative care all have one experience in common… seeing the sometimes surprised, sometimes sympathetic but more often the unmistakable look of shock on the faces of those who innocently ask, ‘So what work...
LITTLE STARS TO BROADCAST ON TRT TURKEY
Little Stars: Accomplishing the Extraordinary in the Face of Serious Illness will be nationally broadcast in Turkey this year on TRT. The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, also known as TRT, is the national public broadcaster of...
Little Stars: Japan Prize Finalist
INTERNATIONAL VISION To live in a world where children’s palliative care is acknowledged and respected as a unique service, and every child and young person with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their families can receive the...
Little Stars Officially Selected for Breath Of Fresh Air Festival
The Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air Festival has officially selected Little Stars: Accomplishing the Extraordinary in the Face of Serious Illness in its 2015 Festival line-up. Little Stars tells the surprisingly life-affirming stories of young...
Sabine Kraft guest blog: Bundesverband Kinderhospiz
Guest blog from Sabine Kraft, Bundesverband Kindehospiz, Germany. Es war ein eindrückliches, unvergessliches Erlebnis, Lucy und ihre Familie an dem Filmtag zu begleiten. Lucy ist ein Mädchen, eine junge Frau, die eine starke Persönlichkeit...
Nazmi continues to chase his dream
"I continue to chase my dream of improving my chess game. I was recently chosen to attend the Level 4 Junior Master chess camp. This is the beginning of my dream to take my chess game up a level. I have also passed the first qualifying...
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Massachusetts Independent Film Festival
Little Stars has won Official Selection into Massachusetts Independent Film Festival. The Massachusetts Independent Film Festival is a worldwide event for truly independent filmmakers. The festival has screened films from all over America,...