Nurse Evelyn Rodger from Edinburgh collected her prestigious national 2022 WellChild Award, in association with GSK, at the Hurlingham Club in London on 8 September.
Evelyn was nominated by colleague and charity CEO, Rami Okasha,
The Awards are run by WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children. The charity’s Patron, The Duke of Sussex was called away to Balmoral and so could not attend the WellChild Awards ceremony with his wife the Duchess as planned.
The news of Her Majesty’s passing broke just as the awards ceremony was about to take place. In a change to the planned proceedings, there was a short silence as a mark of respect followed by a rendition of The National Anthem from opera singers Natalie Rushdie and Camilla Kerslake. The winners then all came onto the stage as a group to receive their awards.
Evelyn, who is a Diana Children’s Nurse with Children’s Hospices Across Scotland was picked from hundreds of nominations from across the UK to win the Nurse category in these Awards which celebrate the resilience of children living with serious illnesses or complex conditions and honour the dedication of those individuals who go the extra mile to help these children and their families.
Evelyn has been a Diana Children’s Nurse (DCN) with Children’s Hospices Across Scotland for the past eight years, having joined the charity in 2014. In her role Evelyn is based in the neonatal Unit in Simpsons in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but she also covers five neonatal units across Southeast of Scotland and Tayside.
In addition to her nursing Evelyn supports and delivers training for NHS Lothian and CHAS staff, developing an environment of close working not only with the hospital and community teams, but with the CHAS hospice, at home and family support teams. Evelyn’s dedication and her collaborative approach creates a seamless service to families.
Evelyn was instrumental in a pioneering memory making project called ‘Joes Toes’ which has raised over £15,000 since 2018 to allow CHAS and neonatal units to purchase the materials required to make 3D baby hand and foot-casts, respectfully done in baby Joe’s name.
Joe was one of twins who was sadly stillborn as a result of twin to twin transfusion syndrome. Part of Evelyn’s role as Diana Nurse is to provide bereavement support and to help parents find ways to create precious lasting memories with their babies, a role which she feels very passionate about.
Joe’s mother Marie said: “Evelyn is a compassionate, kind, gentle woman who is incredibly knowledgeable in bereavement care and we feel privileged that she was there to support us in making cherished memories with Joe and with saying goodbye with no regrets.
“As part of the memory making process, we asked if she would be able to help us take 3D casts of Joe’s feet. Evelyn was more than willing to help us in any way she could. Joe’s cast is now one of our most cherished possessions and to be able to physically touch, hold, see, something that was exactly his is so very precious.
“Our little Joe has given us, and now other families, so much without even being here. He never drew breath but he has changed us forever.”
CHAS CEO Rami Okasha, who nominated Evelyn for the WellChild Award, said: “Evelyn is retiring from CHAS in September this year so to receive a WellChild Award in her retiral year is an incredible honour.
“Evelyn has supported hundreds of families, making sure they have time to spend together and are able to make the choices about end-of-life care for their child and understand the really difficult things that are going on around them.
“More than that Evelyn is an inspiration to her colleagues who work so well with the team across CHAS and across the NHS to support newborn children and parents when the time they have together is going to be incredibly short.
“Evelyn goes above and beyond to build deep connections with families and says in touch with them even long after her care ends. I have heard myself from parents the difference that Evelyn has made to them.
“It is humbling to hear and I want Evelyn to know there are people across Scotland whose lives she has changed forever and they are incredibly grateful to the skill and dedication and kindness she has shown every single day at her work.”
WellChild Chief Executive, Matt James said: “We were so pleased to be able to celebrate our remarkable winners at The WellChild Awards 2022, in association with GSK, despite the unique circumstances this year.
“It was a chance to recognise and highlight the immense challenges they have faced and to celebrate the remarkable positivity, resilience, and spirit they have demonstrated. It also helped us to shine a light on the dedication of those around them, from siblings, professionals and volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help them through such challenging times.”