An inspirational youngster who provides crucial care and support for his older sister has been given a new lease of life thanks to a Perthshire charity.
Eleven-year-old Kaleb Widley goes out of his way to help look after Murrin, 15, who has spina bifida.
For the last year, Murrin has been unable to leave the family home in Glenfarg and has gone through a series of traumatic operations.
Parents Deborah and Scott said it has been a difficult time for the whole family, but Kaleb – who acted as a “gopher” for Murrin when she came out of hospital – found it particularly stressful.
“Kaleb was seeing a lot of attention being paid to his big sister and that does, unintentionally, leave him feeling isolated,” said Deborah, 36. “He’s always so eager to please and he wants to help all the time.
“Two years ago, Murrin went in for a major operation, one which nearly killed her.
“Kaleb was staying with a relative at the time and he was in tears because he said he thought he’d never see her again and he didn’t get the chance to say goodbye.”
The stress took its toll and Kaleb suffered severe mood swings, had a short temper and had difficulty making friends.
Deborah and Scott, who said they felt guilty about the lack of time devoted to Kaleb, reached out to the Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service (PKAVS).
At the time, the acclaimed charity had been given a Big Lottery Fund Scotland award of £465,000 to support its work helping young children who have caring responsibilities in the home.
Through the project, Kaleb got the chance to meet up with other young carers, play, make friends and share experiences.
“We’ve seen a huge difference in him,” Deborah said.
“He’s a lot more confident in himself, he’s much happier and most importantly, he doesn’t feel like he’s the only one going through this any more.”
Kaleb is also making lots of new friends, she said.
“The people at PKAVS have been extraordinary and we can’t thank them enough,” Deborah added.
The Widleys, who also have a six-month-old son Lucas, said that Murrin is recovering well after her operations.
PKAVS aims to give children the chance to be “a child first and a carer second”.
By offering school holiday activities and residential trips, the charity helps reduce the stress and impact the caring role has on young lives. The group works with about 200 young carers.
