27/05/2026
Meet Teagan, a creative six-year-old from County Cork with a big imagination. She adores arts and crafts, spending time with her family, and most of all, being out in nature.
Over the past year, Teagan’s childhood has looked very different from what any child’s should. After being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, she spent many long days and nights as an inpatient between Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Cork University Hospital, and later Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
Hospital life meant Teagan had to miss out on so many of the simple joys of being a little girl, going on adventures, exploring the outdoors, and making happy memories away from treatment. But through some of the hardest moments, Teagan held onto something very special: her wish.
Teagan’s mum told us that as a family, they often spoke about going camping. It became their little escape during hospital days, something bright and exciting to dream about when everything around them felt frightening and uncertain. They would talk about being surrounded by trees, sleeping somewhere cosy, spending time together, and enjoying nature as a family.
Before many of Teagan’s general anaesthetics, when she felt nervous or afraid, her mum Tarien would gently speak to her about her wish. She would tell Teagan to close her eyes and dream about her camping trip, to imagine the adventure and the fresh air.
Thinking about her wish gave Teagan a way to leave the hospital behind. It gave her strength during some of her toughest days and lifted her spirits when she needed it most.
Recently, Teagan’s wish came true!
Teagan, her brother Mason, and her parents enjoyed a family getaway at Center Parcs, nestled in Longford Forest. After so much time spent inside hospital walls, Teagan finally got to be surrounded by fresh air, laughter, and the freedom of nature.
The family stayed in a cosy woodland lodge and made the kind of memories they had dreamed about for so long. Teagan got to meet baby owls, have her face painted, take part in an Easter egg hunt, try her hand at archery, and explore the forest on a family nature quest.
For Teagan and her family, this wish was so much more than a holiday.
It was the dream they had spoken about in hospital rooms. It was the thought that helped calm her before anaesthetics. It was the bright little light she held onto through long days, scary moments, and months spent far from home.
Tarien told us “After everything Teagan has been through, seeing her surrounded by nature, smiling, exploring, and simply enjoying being a child again meant more than words can ever fully explain. Teagan’s wish gave her back a piece of childhood. It turned a hospital dream into a real family adventure. And for that, we will always be grateful.”
