On Monday, 28th of October 2024, we were joined by our Patron, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and his son, Valentino, at Keech Hospice in Luton, to discover and play with our amazing technology.
French-born Jean-Christophe is a Michelin-starred chef, with multi-award-winning restaurants across the world. He received an MBE in 2021 and was awarded the QE Lifetime Achievement at the British Restaurant Awards in 2022.
An avid sportsman and a proud father of four, Jean-Christophe is no stranger to the limelight, having appeared on multiple shows since the 90s including Hell’s Kitchen, Celebrity X Factor, Jonathan Ross, Alive – Back to the Andes, Comic & Sport Relief, Celebrity Cribs, Family Fortunes, Shooting Stars, Bargain Hunt, Children in Need, Cooking With The Stars, his own US show Chef Academy, and even Celebrity Hunted UK, where he finished first. After participating in 2024 as a judge on MasterChef Australia, Jean-Christophe is returning for a second series to be aired in 2025.
During their visit at Keech Hospice, Valentino was able to run around in his own mini-indoor theme park, kicking leaves on the Magic Carpet and bursting balloons on a screen before resting for a while surrounded by jungle animals in the PODS sensory tent.
“To see him so happy and engaged, you have no idea how happy it makes me,” Jean-Christophe explained. “Valentino’s favourite cartoons are animal animations so being surrounded by them as part of the jungle theme is fascinating for him.”
Valentino was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer, at just six weeks old, Jean-Christophe and Valentino’s mum, Michelle, were given the devastating news that he might not see his first birthday.
Michelle, who has joined her husband as a Lifelites Patron, then developed a blood clot from keeping a bedside vigil, as Valentino was given a 20% chance of survival.
Amazingly, they both recovered. But the joy of Valentino’s remission was short-lived, as it was discovered he had a rare genetic disorder – 15q13.3 Chromosome Microdeletion Syndrome – which affects 10,000 people in the UK.
Seeing him play with our technology was a very special moment for Jean-Christophe. “Knowing that Lifelites has access to this level of technology makes me feel, at 63, a little bit more comfortable in thinking about the future for Valentino.”
“Technology is available to buy privately, but to have a charity that is raising money to donate equipment to places where children can use it for free is amazing,” says Jean- Christophe. “We know we are in a privileged position, so it’s important for us to raise awareness.”
Rob Lightfoot, Chief Executive of Lifelites, said: “We are delighted to be working with Jean-Christophe and Michelle as Patrons. Their story highlights the universal importance of family connection, whatever the challenges.. However, at the heart is the universal desire every parent has to enable their children to live the best lives that they can, to play together and to create cherished family memories. At Lifelites we are determined to increase access to our life-changing technology so that more families have the opportunity to do that.”
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How our Champions use Lifelites’ technology with the children and families they support.