In August 1978, at the age of two-and-a-half, Helen was admitted to hospital with a brain tumour. Although it was removed, Helen lay in a coma for most of the six months she remained in hospital before her parents were able to take her home. To this day she remains in a severely impaired state, and requires constant attention. Helen's parents, Jacqueline and Richard, had become aware of the inability of large hospitals to cope with severely ill and dying children. They were also aware of the pressure on parents when they had a sick child at home. As a result, they set about planning the small children's hospice, Helen House, which was funded entirely by the public and is now a charity. The hospice opened in November 1992. The book tells the family's story and that of the hospice which bears Helen's name, and which has housed many thousands of children.