Some days break you in ways you never thought possible. For Roy Townsend, a quiet Sunday evening in April turned into such a day—a day that threw his family’s life into turmoil as they fought to support their seriously ill son.
On April 27, Roy and his partner Ally had spent the day at Bristol Children’s Hospital with their son Dylan. After saying goodnight, they returned to their temporary accommodation, weary but hopeful. As they settled down to watch a film, Roy received an unexpected notification on his phone—not a regular text, but an alert from his Ford app informing him that access to his van had been revoked.
At first, he dismissed it. But after the movie, his heart sank. Stepping outside, he found the familiar parking spot empty. His van—the vehicle that contained all his tools as a self-employed plasterer—had been stolen.
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Inside that van were years of hard work: power tools, drills, laser levels, site lights—everything Roy needed to earn a living. Among the stolen items were also objects of sentimental value, like his cherished darts and the very first tools he had ever owned.
The timing was cruel beyond measure. Roy was already enduring the immense emotional burden of Dylan’s prolonged ordeal. In 2015, Dylan was a lively toddler until a terrifying accident at home—choking on a piece of ham. He suffered respiratory and cardiac arrest, losing oxygen for 45 minutes, leaving him with global brain damage. Diagnosed with Global Hypoxic Ischemia, Dylan became fully dependent on others, requiring round-the-clock care.
Today, he is non-mobile, non-verbal, tube-fed, and battles epilepsy and dystonia, relying on non-invasive ventilation overnight. The constant care weighs heavily on Roy and Ally, both of whom have been unable to work since Dylan’s latest hospital stay. Financial pressure is intense.
Without his van and tools, Roy has lost his only income source. Thankfully, generous friends have loaned him a van and tools so he can continue working for now, but this is no permanent solution.
In a bid to help, Roy’s sister Kim set up a JustGiving page with a modest goal of raising £5,000 to replace essential tools and secure a reliable van. The response has been deeply heartening, rallying a community around a family already tackling unimaginable challenges.
Kim’s message captures the stark reality: “They’re already facing the unimaginable—Dylan is seriously ill. While visiting him in hospital, my brother’s van was stolen with all his tools inside. On any other day, the van would’ve been empty, but that day it was packed so he could spend as much time at the hospital as possible. They didn’t need this. Not now.”
Roy’s focus is simple: regain the means to work and provide for his family—including Dylan, Ally, their older children, and grandchildren. He’s a man who always puts family first, now desperate for a chance to rebuild from this devastating setback.
If you can offer support, no matter how small, it means the world to a family fighting to keep hope alive amidst hardship.