A teenager from Burnley has enjoyed his first holiday in years as he battles leukaemia.
Hughie Higginson, 13, was one of 74 deserving children flown from Manchester to Orlando by the Eccles-based charity Destination Florida.
Children with complex and life-limiting medical conditions from the north west of England enjoyed the rides and attractions at the Disney and Universal theme parks and were treated to a Cirque Du Soleil show and a team-building pool party.
Hughie, who won a Pride of Britain award in 2021 after raising more than £200,000 for a hospital charity with friend Freddie Xavi, said: “I haven’t been on holiday for three years.
“It has been unbelievable, everything about it.
“All of it has been really special and I’ve enjoyed making new friends. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Hughie, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in September 2020, is still having treatment and will undergo chemotherapy at Manchester Children’s Hospital until March next year.
Destination Florida organises and fundraises the biennial magical trips for youngsters who are dealing with various medical issues every day of their lives.
The trips enable children aged six to 16 to take a trip of a lifetime with the support of medical, nursing and non-medical volunteers who deliver round-the-clock care with a mobile hospital consisting of doctors, nurses and physiotherapists.
Adult Destination Florida helpers work with the medical staff to create five ‘caring teams’ to enable one-to-one support for each child.
Dr Adam Nicholls, consultant in paediatric intensive care at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, is the medical lead on the trip, which flew out from Manchester last Friday, September 15.
He said: “This trip has been amazing. It is our first one since Covid and our youngest child on the trip is just seven.
“The children have a huge variety of complex medical conditions and our hotel is a mini hospital.
“We raised £500,000 for the trip, including with our summer ball, so it’s a big task.
“To see the children come out of themselves is brilliant. Any shyness goes out of the window by the end of the week.”
Destination Disney was created in 1987 by Dr David Evans and Sister Alex Shaw, inspired by when a group of northern based children were nominated to go on a trip to Florida through a London based charity, but were not selected. The first Destination Florida trip took 25 children.
Lead nurse Deborah McKenna, who works for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, praised: “It’s extremely rewarding being here, seeing how shy and quiet the children are to start with.
“We’ll be crying buckets when it comes the time to say goodbye.
“We have children on the trip who have had bowels removed, transplants, chemotherapy and we have one young man who can’t see so we describe everything to him. Some children have life-limiting conditions and need nebulisers and oxygen.
“We’re in touch with all the parents to let them know how they’re getting on and send photos.
“Some children have never been away from their parents before because of their medical needs and have never been on a plane.”
Medical volunteer Bryony Palmer, a children’s complex care nurse for central Manchester, nominated one of her patients for the trip.
“I’ve seen her confidence grow since day one,” she said. “She wouldn’t let go of my hand at first but it’s given her so much independence.”
Ged Mason, chief executive of event sponsor Morson Group, which has been supporting Destination Florida for more than 30 years, has been a volunteer on the trips for 27 years.
He said: “We treat children with the most serious of illnesses like princes and princesses for a week.
"We have doctors, nurses, physios, consultants dedicated to their needs and it’s good to see smiles on their faces.
“Some children have never been away from their family so it’s amazing to see them growing in confidence while they have fun and we sprinkle some magic for them.”
Among the volunteers was charity worker Emma Neville, the wife of former Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, a sponsor of the trip with her business This Is Me.
Chair of trustees Michael Hymanson, who was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to the children’s charity, said, after his 14th Destination Florida: “It was absolutely brilliant to take another special group of children to Florida and such an amazing group of carers to look after children who are suffering from a variety of medical conditions. They had the time of their lives.”
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