Little Heroes believes that Smiling is a great way to make children with cancer feel better.

Imagine when a child is undergoing treatment, that child receiving a present (or toy) for that one second, they may smile as such they may feel better if only for a moment, not only will they smile but so may their family. Now imagine giving a toy to every child on a cancer ward, every month. How many smiles could you make?

When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them.

Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. When a child smiles, there is a measurable reduction in their blood pressure. Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling. If you can help us to achieve a smile on a child’s face who is undergoing treatment for cancer, is it not priceless knowing that you have personally made a child in pain smile?

Our Long Term Goals

Although we are still a fledgling charity, we have some serious long term goals.

Within the next 12 months we want to set up a website chat room for all parents of children suffering from cancer (UK wide), so that parents can find other parents who understand their situation and can offer support.

Write a parent’s guide to cancer - a parents view

Open up a survivors center in Bradford
Where children who have or had cancer can meet and find friendship and support from others who are experiencing or have experienced cancer.
 
for immune suppressed children, not just cancer children but also liver, kidney and lung disease. For children that have limited or no immune protection, as they are limited in the places they can go, often the parent is also trapped and unable to pop to the supermarket for fear of infection that could be life threatening. Very often parents forget about themselves as they become carers for the ill child.