Local teenager raises over £13,000 for Dorothy House in memory of mum

A local teenager has smashed his fundraising target after he and five of his friends decided to ‘brave the shave’ for Dorothy House.

After Dorothy House cared for his mum, 15-year-old Reece Hulland decided he wanted to do something to give back. Reece’s mum, Jennifer (known as Jen), died on 4 May 2024 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. Jen was first introduced to Dorothy House in January 2024. Reece’s dad and Jen’s husband, Matthew, told us that the couple weren’t initially aware of what we could offer.

“You hear ‘Dorothy House’, or the word ‘Hospice’ and you instantly think ‘end of life care,’ but our experience opened us up to what they can offer.”

Nurse Specialist, Becky was the family’s first point of contact, who Matthew described as their ‘go-to’ person: “Anything you needed, she’d do it for you there and then. She became more like a friend.” Alongside support from Becky, Jen also received regular treatment from Lymphoedema Practitioner, Lucy, who Matthew described as “amazing.”

When her illness worsened, Jen spent a few weeks at Great Western Hospital in Swindon. After finding out from doctors that there was nothing more they could do, she made the decision to spend her final days at Dorothy House. She then spent four days on our Inpatient Unit (IPU), where she died on 4 May.

Coming to Dorothy House

Describing Dorothy House as “the best place you can be in the worst situation,” Matthew spoke of the love and care the whole family received by the team. The couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Elsie, was able to spend her birthday with her mum at the Hospice, and the team even helped her celebrate with cake and by decorating the room with balloons and banners: “Despite everything that was going on, if you asked Elsie about her birthday, she’d tell you it was brilliant!”

During her stay at Dorothy House, Jen was able to receive visits from her friends and family, something Matthew told us would have been difficult to do had she still been in hospital. “Jen has a big family, and the room was just full for the whole four days.” At the same time, the family were also able to make use of the other facilities at the Hospice, including the family room, and the peaceful atmosphere of The Beacon and Firefly Woods. One of our doctors, Heather, also provided Reece and Elsie with memory boxes. Matthew cited the love and care shown by the staff to the whole family as a key factor in Reece deciding to fundraise for us.

“After she passed, they dressed Jen and decorated the room with flowers, and we were allowed to stay as long as we wanted with her to say our goodbyes.”

Shortly after Jen’s death, Reece told his dad he wanted to shave his head for Dorothy House. Five of his friends decided to join him, having been a source of support for Reece during his mum’s illness. Initially setting a target of £500 on his Just Giving page, it wasn’t long before the total started shooting up, and within just 45 minutes, they’d reached £1,500.

“Reece kept saying ‘Dad, we’re at £100,’ ‘Dad, we’re at £300,’ and then within about 45 minutes he’d got up to £1,500.”

The power of social media

With friends and family being quick to share the fundraising page on social media, as well as the parents of Reece’s friends sharing, the ‘Baldy Boys’ total kept rising, with Matthew telling us “We had people donating saying that they didn’t know Jen or the family but they wanted to donate because they had a connection with Dorothy House, or even just because they thought what he was doing was so lovely.”

In the company of family and friends, on 25 May, two days after Jen’s funeral, Reece and his friends, Theo, Lewis, Bobbie, Evan and Callum, took on brave the shave – with Elsie’s help, Matthew telling us “She loved shaving her brother’s mates’ heads!” Reece’s cousin even joined in and shaved his head at the last minute too!

 “The work Dorothy House did and the way they helped and treated my mum were amazing. They are truly amazing people that do amazing work that is based all on charity donations.” – Reece

Just one week on, Reece’s fundraising total has reached over £13,000. Matthew told us he was “immensely proud” of his son and how fundraising for the Hospice has provided them with a focus and a way of giving back: “It’s helped us stick together.” Reece’s head-shave is just the tip of the iceberg though – as the family are planning a whole year of fundraising for Dorothy House, with Elsie already trying to think of her own fundraiser!

“There’s been talk of sponsored bike rides, and Jen loved Bingo, so we may even do something there too. I can’t thank Dorothy House enough. To anyone who’s worried about coming here, don’t be. Embrace everything they have to offer.”

A huge thank you to Reece and his friends for braving the shave and raising such a phenomenal amount. We’re wishing the family the very best of luck with their future fundraising.