When Liz Hooper stood up to talk about Candlelighters, she wasn’t simply speaking as a charity Ambassador. She was speaking as a mother who had walked through the dark, uncertain territory of a childhood cancer diagnosis.
Her family’s connection with the organisation goes back more than two decades, to the moment her young daughter was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. Having only recently moved to Yorkshire from London, Liz and her husband found themselves in an unfamiliar hospital facing a frightening reality: their daughter had roughly a 30% chance of survival.
”The diagnosis is devastating,” Liz recalls. “I didn’t know where to turn for help.” While the medical team at Leeds General Infirmary focused on saving her daughter’s life, Candlelighters stepped in to support the human side of the crisis.
For Liz, the impact of that support is best captured in one phrase: “The doctors saved my daughter. Candlelighters saved us as a family.”
Fifty Years of Bringing Light to Families
Candlelighters began in Leeds in 1976 when a determined group of parents and medical staff came together to raise £90,000—over £800,000 in today’s money—to create a dedicated children’s cancer unit at Seacroft Hospital. Today, as the charity celebrates its 50th anniversary, it supports over 150 children in Yorkshire diagnosed with cancer each year.
The charity’s holistic approach addresses the emotional, practical, and financial toll a diagnosis takes on the entire family unit.
- Practical & Emergency Support: Assisting with parking, meals, financial burdens, and providing “The Cottage”—free home-away-from-home accommodation near Leeds Children’s Hospital for families travelling long distances.
- The Square: Located at Woodhouse Square in Leeds, this dedicated family support centre offers a non-clinical sanctuary where parents can join support groups, children can play, and teenagers can connect with peers.
- Whole-Family Care: Tailored therapeutic play for patients, alongside dedicated activities and residential trips for siblings, ensuring brothers and sisters are never left behind in the care process.
- Investing in the Future: Funding vital work through its Supportive Care Research Centre, committing £1 million over five years to lower treatment toxicity and improve quality of life for young patients.
A Legacy of Hope
Today, Liz’s daughter has not only survived but thrives, working in oncology for a major pharmaceutical company—a poignant full-circle moment born from her own treatment journey.
Liz continues to volunteer her time as an Ambassador, telling her story to ensure that every family facing a childhood cancer diagnosis across Yorkshire has access to the same lifeline her family received. Candlelighters began five decades ago with parents demanding better care for their children; through the support of donors, volunteers, and advocates like Liz, that light continues to shine bright for the next generation.
Here is the link to Isla’s moving story showing how Candlelighters supported Isla and family