John M and Luke P

Age 11 & 14

Ty Hafan - the family hospice for young lives

"Cousins"

The staff at Tŷ Hafan collaborated with a local art gallery (Washington Gallery) and puppeteer Mandy Fancourt on this unique piece of artwork, where two cousins have chosen each other as their heroes.

Cousins, John and Luke have a life-limiting condition called Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD). They have been spending time at Tŷ Hafan for a few years, quite often visiting together and getting into lots of trouble! Luke who is the eldest is known for taking John under his wing, showing him the ropes and making sure that he's ok.

Both of them use a powered chair to get around. Luke lives in Cardiff with his mum Judith, brother Paul (who also has DMD) and sister Emma. He can be loud and naughty but is always loveable! He loves dressing up, singing on the karaoke and will have a go at most things.

Not surprisingly John has very similar interests; he has lots of imagination, loves dressing up and particularly likes music. John also lives in Cardiff with his mum Sharon and dad Paul.

It was wonderful to see them choose each other and pick their materials for making the puppets. There is an uncanny resemblance of each other - it must be those cheeky smiles!

Please note this case study (images and copy) must not be used or replicated in any other form without prior consent from Children's Hospices UK.

These puppets have been framed in a white wood frame. The artwork measures 640mm wide, by 430mm high.