When his son was rushed to intensive care with meningitis, rugby star Matt Dawson began “two weeks of hell”.
But he says being able to stay with his wife in charity accommodation near Great Ormond Street Hospital and take shifts at Sami’s bedside made all the difference.
“When you don’t know whether your child is going to survive an hour or a day, you want to be there for every single second,” Dawson said.
“Having a room where you can have a moment to yourself to digest all the information that’s being thrown at you... it’s very much overlooked but it’s an absolute godsend.”
Today the ex-England captain, 44, returned to GOSH to open Morgan Stanley House, a free hotel for patients’ families.
The £3.5 million, eight-bedroom hotel in Sandwich Street was part-funded by an £1.8 million donation from staff at the financial services firm.
Sami, now three, fell ill in February last year. Dawson and wife Carolin Hauskeller posted pictures online of the toddler covered in red lesions to campaign for the wider availability of vaccines.
Dawson said: “We will always be indebted to GOSH, Chelsea and Westminster hospital and the Children’s Acute Transfer Service crew.”
About 300 families a year are expected to stay at Morgan Stanley House, which adds to parent accommodation already available at GOSH.
More than half of the children’s hospital’s patients come from outside the capital and priority will be given to their families.
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