Case studies

This is Charlie, he’s eight now but was born three months premature. Charlie has Autistic Spectrum Disorder, is chronically asthmatic, suffers frequent vomiting, constant glue ear, has a problem with his optic nerve and due to a congenital problem, one of his thighs is larger than the other. As if this wasn’t enough he has been diagnosed with nocturnal epilepsy. Goodness knows how Charlie copes, but his mum, Heidi, says he never complains and is one of life’s smilers.

Charlie’s dad, Matthew, works in our industry and his son’s condition places a strain on him and his wife, who also has ME. At various times one of them has given up work to provide care and take him to hospital appointments.

In 2005 the couple lost close relatives and incurred expenses travelling to be with their family. Their finances, already stretched with one income and needing to buy clothing for Charlie, were at breaking point. They turned to BEN and we helped with travel costs to hospital appointments and gave emotional support, but the best thing we did was fund a respite break for them. This really made a difference and they are now getting back on track.

Richard Futrill has worked in our industry for the whole of his working life, where he continues to be employed by a car component manufacturer. He is happily married to Claire and they now have three beautiful young daughters, so you might think they wouldn’t need BEN’s support.

Sadly last year, everything changed when Claire was seven months pregnant with their third daughter, when their second daughter Millie was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Millie’s treatment meant intensive Chemotherapy, which had a devastating impact not only on Millie but the entire family.

Richard and his wife Claire, who also works in the industry, had to take time off work to make the frequent hospital trips. This soon used up all their holiday and sickness entitlement, leaving the time off unpaid.

The extra travel and parking costs also mounted up with each trip and they were faced with the emotional and physical strain of not just Millie’s condition, but also the financial stress it caused.

Being aware of BEN, Richard and Claire decided to make contact to see if we could help. BEN gave the family a grant to ease the impact of the travel costs and their immediate needs, as well as providing emotional support and friendship. One year on and Millie’s condition has settled but she is still in and out of hospital, so BEN continues to be on hand.

Steven was a trainee mechanic when a collision with a lorry, through no fault of his, resulted in internal injuries. His subsequent life-saving operation left him paralysed and he spent several months in a spinal injury unit.

Rehabilitation meant, although still using a wheelchair, he has returned to his employer in an administrative role. Thanks to BEN's contributions, Steve is driving an adapted vehicle, has a lightweight wheelchair for work and has an adapted bedroom in the bungalow that his parents had to move to. Thanks to the support received from our industries, BEN has helped make Steven's life a lot happier.

This is Dan, who worked as a tyre fitter, and his wife Fiona. Three years ago Dan suffered a heart attack and couldn't return to work. Money was tight, but BEN provided advice on benefits and a grant to cover a few bills.

We kept in contact, and a year later, Fiona had to take time off work as their son needed surgery on his legs. Fiona had no choice but to stop work while her son was treated, as Dan couldn't lift his son in and out the car. The family were finding it hard to cope financially, so BEN provided another grant to help pay the bills. BEN never leaves a family in need, and continues to offer support until beneficiaries are back on their feet.