Poppy’s dream comes true: Leukaemia patient becomes vet for the day
A five-year-old leukaemia patient made memories to last a lifetime after her wish to become a veterinary nurse was granted.
Pets at Home welcomed Poppy Catterall to its Orpington branch in Cray Avenue last week for a full day of work experience in her dream job.
Poppy, who lives in Orpington, was diagnosed with untreatable leukaemia in July. Following the news, her parents, Che-Marie and Jordan, set out on a mission to tick off a bucket list of moments for their daughter.
Che-Marie said: “When Poppy was first diagnosed, she wasn’t allowed around pets or animals due to the risk of infection caused by chemotherapy. Our only option that kept Poppy safe and let her see the animals she loves was a trip to Pets at Home.
“Poppy has always said she wanted to be a veterinary nurse, so I reached out on social media and had an influx of messages saying they could get Poppy her work experience day.”
Having seen the online appeal, Pets at Home store manager Steve Painter got to work with colleagues to create an experience like no other for Poppy and her family.
Mr Painter said: “When I asked everyone if they wanted to be involved, every colleague immediately said yes. I knew that if we were going to do it, we couldn’t do it by halves – we had to give it our all.”
Having sourced scrubs, a ‘VIP Access’ lanyard, and name badges with logos, the team planned a split work experience-style shift across the store.
After arriving at the store in the morning, Poppy got straight to business with a ‘Mega Pet Pals’ session where Poppy handled and learnt all about Guinea Pigs and fed the fish their breakfast.
Lunch allowed time for Che-Marie to go and collect Poppy’s brother, Jude, before they got stuck into an afternoon at the practice together.
The children were presented with their very own scrubs, personalised badges, stethoscopes, a fob watch, pens and information folders, ready for their time as ‘Junior Pet Experts’.
Jude and Poppy were shown the Ultrasound and X-ray room and the theatre room where they looked at X-ray images of animals on the computer and had a tour of the kennels where animals who had been treated were waiting for their owners to collect them.
To top off the day they added Waffle, the family’s much-loved Cockapoo, to their ‘Our Pets’ board at the front of the store.
Che-Marie said: “I honestly can’t put into words how touching this was for myself and my husband to watch and be a part of.
“Genuinely, every single staff member on the shop floor, the receptionists of the vets, and the clinical staff of the vets went above and beyond for the kids. You could see just how passionate they were about their own jobs and passionate about bringing this experience to Poppy and Jude.
“For people we’ve never met before to welcome and really tend to our children was lovely.
“My husband and I want to say a huge thank you to all the staff working that day, thank you for making our little girls’ dream come true.”
Pictured top: From left, Jude Catterall with his sister Poppy Catterall during their visit to Pets at Home last week (Picture: Pets at Home)