8 September 2025
Meet Nadine and Glenbert who feature in our From That Moment fundraising campaign film. Their son Montell is 12 and we have been supporting the family since he was three months old.
Montell was born with Hydrocephalus, which meant that he had excess fluid in his brain which left him with complex needs and requiring specialist care.
We support the whole family with fun activities for Montell and his three sisters, Myala,10, Mellyta-May, 6, and Melisha, 4. They have a dedicated Family Link Worker, a Specialist Carer and are all looking forward to a holiday at our lodge in Mersea Island soon, as part of our Noah’s Ark on Holiday scheme.
The Moment Everything Changed
Nadine talks about the moment their life changed: "That moment for us was when I was pregnant. I was told during a scan that something was severely wrong. They saw lots of inflammation and brain damage. And, from there everything changed." Glenbert adds: "It was a life changing moment. But we just had to get up and carry on to see what we'd have to do for the next part of our life."
Nadine goes on to say how that moment made her feel: "I was definitely overwhelmed. I didn't think that I could cope and live with what was coming at me. I had to, first of all, make the decision of whether to continue with the pregnancy or not, because that was definitely an option that was given to me. That was the hardest thing that I had to do. And then also trying to understand what comes next, because ultimately no-one knew."
Nadine goes back to the birth and says: "When Montell was born we were told that his life expectancy was only three hours. That was the absolute biggest worry, what is going to happen next? The decisions we made, were they the right ones? We had to keep on going and learn about all these things we’d never heard of. We couldn't even pronounce half of the things he was diagnosed with. That was the biggest, life changing moment where everything happened at the same time. Just having a baby is a big thing but to have all these things on top of that was definitely life changing."
Glenbert talks about his feelings around Montell’s birth and says: "There was a little bit of panic. We weren't sure what was going to happen, you hear all these things from the doctors, and you don’t know what to believe - but we know we have a son and we just had to keep going forward. It’s not the easiest thing, seeing your child in an incubator with wires everywhere, it was a dramatic moment." Nadine adds: "We knew that we had to stay strong for him and stay strong for us. It was definitely overwhelming to absorb all the information we were being given and then try to live a normal life."
When asked for one word to describe how she felt, at that moment, Nadine says she was scared. Glenbert agrees and says: "I don't even have a word for it, because was just so much going on in my mind. You want to love your child, but you are scared. It was a mind-blowing moment, when you get that phone call, you see the scans and you realise - this is what we've got to deal with. But we just stood together and here we are today."
Meeting Noah's Ark
Nadine talks about her first experience of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, she says: "We first came in contact with Noah's Ark through a referral that was made for us. It was very difficult for us to understand what that meant - taking that step, but we had the most welcoming meeting with some amazing staff, and we knew it was the right decision to join them. Glenbert adds: ‘It was like a weight taken off your shoulders, the support was amazing."
Nadine says of the support from Noah’s Ark: "They made us feel really comfortable, they made us feel normal and they didn't make us feel like we had a disabled child. Montell came to Noah's Ark, 12 years ago, when he was only four months old and from then the weight was lifted from us and the worry was taken from us. They made us think that life could be OK.’ Glenbert adds: ‘The confidence that they brought, that's what we loved."
Nadine says of the benefits of being part of Noah’s Ark; "You start to realise that there are other families going through similar situations. It was reassuring that we could meet other families and have the same understanding. Noah's Ark makes you feel like they are part of your family, they made us feel that we could lean on them and not be so scared and overwhelmed."
Nadine goes on to praise the support that Noah’s Ark offers outside of the child who is seriously ill and says: "When our family grew, the support grew. We had three girls after Montell, and they are also supported by Noah's Ark through the sibling groups. It is definitely good for them to have friends that are in the same situation as them so they can have conversations that maybe they couldn’t have with their friends at school. For us, the support just grew not only for us as parents but for Montell and his sisters."
Glenbert says:
"My children really love coming to Noah’s Ark, it’s not a negative place that most people think of when they think of a hospice, for us they've brought bright light into the situation that we were dealt, we love what they do for us."
Nadine talks about Montell’s experiences at Noah’s Ark and says: "Montell’s favourite time at Noah's Ark is when he sleeps over and uses the hydrotherapy pool as he loves baths and water but that’s not something we can do at home. We use the Soft Play Room and go for wild nature walks as Montell loves to be outside"
"He lights up when we come to Noah’s Ark, you can see it in his body language that he feels free, calm and happy."
Noah's Ark Prom 2025
Noah’s Ark recently organised a ‘Prom’ event for the children so that they didn’t miss out on this important memory, Glenbert says: "Luckily enough the Prom fell around Montell’s birthday, so we were able to be a part of that. Everyone was dressed up and it was great to see him in his element. He really enjoyed that day and for me it is one of the memories that I'll cherish for the rest of my life." Nadine adds: "That moment was just so special for him, he felt so happy, and had all of his friends and sisters around him. You could feel the love in that room between all the families, it was really special for us."
Parent Groups
Glenbert talks about the support he receives from Noah’s Ark that is tailored specifically to him, he says: "Noah's Ark has provided a wonderful community for me, they’ve put together a dad’s group and every now and then we go out to have a good chat. It feels good to go somewhere, where if you want to talk about your family life in a certain way, they understand."
Nadine is also a part of the Noah’s Ark mums group, she says: "We've extended that to a WhatsApp group as well, so we talk more often than we did, we've recognised that in the past maybe month or two and we don't want to change that, we just want to keep on growing. We are so grateful to Noah's Ark for giving us that. It’s a great support outside of The Ark and we all love each other."
Support for Siblings
Nadine talks about the holistic nature of the wrap around care for the family, saying: "The Ark is a safe space where our children feel so safe and where they can be open and free and where all the staff know their names. Noah's Ark is a family orientated place, instead of just focusing on the disabled child and that’s very important for us.’ Glenbert adds: ‘The children know that when they come here everyone's welcome, there is a space for all of them, and they can be themselves."
Reflecting on Their Journey
Glenbert talks about Montell’s journey with Noah’s Ark and says: "When I think of how far Montell’s come, it’s just amazing. He's done so much and been through so much. Every day is a blessing to see him so happy. I'm just glad to be a part of his journey."
Nadine adds:
"Montell has come so far, he doesn’t have the ability to see just how far but he does recognise the love that we all have for him. In the beginning there was joy and there was sadness, so many different elements to our life but Noah’s Ark helped hold everything together, without them I do think that some pieces would have dropped off."
Nadine expresses her gratitude to Noah’s Ark, saying: "When you’re concerned or worried and you don't know who to turn to, you make that phone call to Noah's Ark and they find a way. They find a way to help you understand the situation and overcome it. That is just life changing for us and there aren’t enough thank yous in the world. They give families like ours a chance and there's aren’t a lot of chances out there when you have a disabled child."
Glenbert ends by saying:
"We can do everything at Noah’s Ark, there is nothing that is exempt from us and we're just so happy to have been a part of this journey with Noah’s Ark."
We would like to take this opportunity to say a BIG thank you to Nadine, Glenbert, Montell, Myala, Mellyta-May and Melisha for sharing their story.
You can find out more about our From That Moment fundraising campaign here.
