Paul’s story: Our most precious moments with Kalel
Kalel was born with complex medical needs and received seven years of support at Derian House before he died aged 11 in 2019. Kalel’s father Paul Woodward, a film producer, later released The Little Things on Amazon Prime in 2025 – a powerful documentary challenging myths about children’s hospices and showing how they help families find moments of joy in the hardest times. Ahead of his speech at our upcoming APPG parliamentary meeting for Children’s Hospice Week 2026, Paul had these words to share about some of the precious moments Derian helped to create for he and his family.
Kalel was the most beautiful little boy. He couldn’t speak, had to be manually moved 24/7, was peg fed, and had a damaged brain along with so many other complications. Yet his outlook on life was so pure and beautiful. He would chuckle until he turned red at the sound of ducks quacking, and our old squeaky back gate would have him in absolute stitches. The wind blowing through his hair made him smile, and he loved nothing more than just sitting next to you, holding hands. Being with him was an absolute pleasure. He made you realise that the most precious moments in life really are the little things we so easily brush past.
Life is so busy now. It’s easy to get caught up thinking about the big holiday coming up, a birthday you’ve been planning for ages, or a special night out. But truly, those small moments that sometimes only last a few seconds, a shared smile, a feeling, a gentle touch, are the ones we would relive for a lifetime.
One of my favourite memories is from when Kalel had been at Derian House for respite over Father’s Day. When we went to pick him up, they presented me with a Father’s Day card he had “made.” It was the roughest but most beautiful thing I have ever seen. They had taken him outside, photographed him in his wheelchair while someone held up his hand. They printed the photo, cut out the shape of him in his wheelchair (with the hand still holding his wrist up), and stuck it on the front of a blue card. Then they drew strings from his hand to balloons made from his fingerprints in different colours. His face in the photo looked completely unimpressed, yet there he was, flying through the sky in his wheelchair, lifted by six balloons.
I had to hold back the tears. That simple, imperfect card made with so much love was everything I could have asked for. It perfectly represents the little things in life, and it captures exactly what everyday life is like at the children’s hospice.
My second favourite memory is from a fun day we had there. There were only about ten families. We had sandwiches and lovely snacks, played in the park, did arts and crafts, and then sat in the garden room where someone was playing Disney songs on the piano. We were all on the floor with our children, each with little instruments like triangles and tambourines. My wife had gone for a massage with the in-house masseuse, and everything felt perfect.
Then, suddenly, the whole squad of the Warrington Wolves professional rugby team walked through the door, these huge men, six foot tall and wide. They sat down around the room with us, picked up instruments, and joined in singing Disney songs. They brought so much energy and joy. They stayed for group photographs afterwards, and when the session finished I went out to the car park to meet my wife as she finished her massage. I was saying goodbye to these giant rugby players I’d just spent an hour and a half singing The Little Mermaid with. She looked completely bewildered, asking what on earth we’d been doing.
It was such a whirlwind, but one I’ll never forget. It was so wholesome and full of love. It really doesn’t take much to lift others up. I’m not even a rugby fan, but I have huge respect for what those players did that day. I still think about it often.
I have so many precious moments from our time at Derian House. Each visit was unique and special. Every single person there goes out of their way to create tailored experiences that meet both the medical and fun needs of the children. The little things really are a daily occurrence at the hospice. They go above and beyond to deliver precious moments in abundance.