Lovely Lily’s letter lifts our spirits

Nine year old writes us a heartfelt note and tells us 'never give up, keep on smiling' and that we'll get rid of this 'nasty virus'

Lovely Lily’s letter lifts our spirits

We’ve certainly been feeling the love at Oxford Health, with generous donations from the communities we serve, rousing Thursday claps for the NHS and countless messages of thanks on our social media platforms.

But one nine-year-old girl has single-handedly managed to melt the hearts of our teams at Abingdon Community Hospital – and beyond-  by sending us a beautifully written and colourful letter with inspiring messages of hope.

Lily, from Grove, has been busy during lockdown taking care to do her school studies, having Easter egg hunts and trampolining in the garden with her sister.

But the thoughtful youngster decided that she should get down to a serious business of writing a special thank you letter to the hospital, telling us to ‘Never give up and keep smiling’ and her encouraging words were accompanied by a beautiful rainbow picture informing us ‘NHS is the nest.”

The youngster, who usually attends Grove Primary School, told us: “I thought it would be a good idea to do it, especially as my nanny works there.”

Lily’s nanny, Sally Ann, is one of our healthcare assistants who helps our clinical teams – doctors, nurses and therapists – care for patients, in this instance on Abbey Ward.

Penny King, an administrative assistant at Abingdon, said: “We received this lovely letter from Lilly in this morning’s post. You cannot believe the smiles it has brought to everyone who has read it.”

And Lily’s dad Ben told us: “We’re very proud of her and to know her letter has made such an impression has really made our day.”

Thanks Lily on behalf of everyone at Oxford Health – all 6,700 of us. You’re a very special person.

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Published: 14 April 2020