Oskar Craig is a much loved little boy who suffered from a terminal illness and his legacy will be ‘Oskar’s Dreams,’ a charity formed to help fund specialist care for children who follow him.
Much has now been achieved, through the wonderful response of the Isle of Man people, and now ‘Oskar’s Dreams’ further ambition is help our Children’s Hospice with equipment costs, and further contribute financially to hospice care for seriously ill children on the Isle of Man.
The reasons for this are best explained in the words of Oskar’s Mum and Dad:
Oskar and his family; brother Jaime,
Mum Alyson, and Dad Heath“Our dream was to have another beautiful healthy baby. We did get a beautiful baby whom we always loved and still love dearly, but sadly a baby that never walked, talked, and unfortunately never smiled and he never recognised his Mummy, Daddy, or his big brother.
"Oskar was born on Friday 15th July 2005 in Nobles Hospital. We didn't know anything was wrong until his first seizure at thirteen days old; he then spent the next six months in Alder Hey Hospital. Oskar was diagnosed with a devastating condition called Malignant Migrating Partial Epilepsy in infancy. This was the most difficult six months of our lives.
"This type of epilepsy is very rare, only four confirmed in the UK and about 40 worldwide. Oskar had frequent seizures occurring every day which were resistant to all known anti-epileptic medications. He made almost no developmental progress.
"After we brought Oskar home from Alder Hey Hospital he still needed round the clock care. We had a few days a week from Hospice Care’s Children’s Hospice at Home Service. They looked after Oskar as if he was their own giving us much needed breaks. But for Oskar, more was needed. There was no complete respite care service on the Isle of Man; the respite care Oskar needed came from a beautiful children’s hospice called Claire House. They are all wonderful there and loved Oskar; but Claire House is on the Wirral, ninety miles across the Irish Sea, and we had to regularly fly Oskar over via Liverpool with a suitcase of equipment; no easy task!
Oskar dreaming during a
visit to Rebecca House
when under construction"Oskar passed away peacefully at home 10th February 2007 aged only eighteen months.
"We always knew Oskar was terminally ill. We were told he would be lucky to reach his 5th birthday but even this was not to be. With this in mind and Rebecca House, the new Isle of Man Children’s Hospice, opened in November 2007, which will make life for other similar Island families so much easier, Oskar’s first Dream was to raise £15,000 to name a room, and thereafter to continue his Dreams and raise funds for seriously ill children on the Isle of Man, providing a place with total loving professional care, peace and dignity – and indeed happiness – during a child’s final days.
"While Oskar is now in the hands of God and his angels, those left behind will continue with Oskar’s Dreams to raise funds to add to those already in place for setting up and equipping Rebecca House Children’s Hospice, and after, to help provide running costs.
"Oskar continues to Dream that other very poorly children from the Isle of Man will have the very special facilities and loving care, plus respite care for mothers and fathers that Rebecca House will provide.”
Would you like to join us and help with Oskar's Dreams?
You can by making a donation right here
