On Thursday 19th June 2014 Oscar Noah Cole died. Oscar was in hospital being treated routinely for an infection but nobody imagined that he would not make a full recovery. As his parents, Hannah and David, watched over Oscar in hospital on the day that he died, standing there in disbelief, holding him in their arms until his heart beat his last beat, they made some promises to one another which they are committed to.
We are determined to create a layer on top of our pain which resembles a quality of life. Our life before losing Oscar was a charmed one and we knew it. We were a very happy family with two kids who adored each other, a great circle of friends and jobs we enjoyed. But it was a conventional life. Now our life is far from conventional and for it to be tolerable it simply has to be remarkable. In order not to feel trapped in our own existence we have to achieve things that we would not otherwise have achieved. We need to ensure that whilst Oscar’s life was only in its opening chapters this is only the beginning of his story.
- Hannah and David Cole
Hannah and David's intention from the outset was to identify a cause which went beyond their own tragedy to address issues of broader social interest and their primary measure of success will be the impact that they have collectively had in their lifetimes.
The objectives for ‘Thinking of Oscar’ are:
The relief of sickness and promotion of the health of children, young people and their families whilst in hospital care across England by:
- Providing support and activities to children, their families and medical teams who strive to make their time in hospital as comfortable as possible.
- Providing funding for the development of research and development into and the provision of improved diagnostic techniques and technology.
- Providing increased access to relevant knowledge and data via the sharing of best practice and the application of technology.
Thinking of Oscar is about identifying projects and innovation which are over and above those which the NHS is able to provide. We are focused on areas which are significant enough to really matter but not so complex that they cannot be addressed in our lifetimes. Our energies to make a difference via Thinking of Oscar are boundless but we will not be successful without your support. Thank you for becoming involved.
- Hannah and David Cole