Band of Builders’ latest project is to help Kyle Sisson, the son of a Steel Erector from Hereford who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was just 3 days old.

As well as being born with Cystic Fibrosis, Kyle has no immune system meaning that he is extremely vulnerable to chest infections which have caused his lung function to drop to just 53%. Kyle has CF related diabetes and his pancreas does not function, he also has an extensive medication regime including a nebuliser 3 times a day and also daily physiotherapy.

At the age of just 15, Kyle has been diagnosed with clinical depression due to his illness taking its toll. Kyle is unable to socialise with friends away from the family home and is not able to go to school as he spends a lot of time in Birmingham Children’s Hospital, over the past 12 months the longest he’s been out of hospital at any one time is just five weeks.

The past 15 years have been extremely stressful for Kyle and his family and recently Kyle's mum suffered two strokes through the stress and worries of family life. Kyle's Dad also has severe arthritis, however continues to work as steel erector, now on light duties.

Volunteers travelled across the country spent a week at Kyle’s home building a cabin where he can be home-schooled and also spend time with friends without risking his health.

The volunteers had to contend with a few obstacles such as extreme weather conditions, the first day of the project saw a whole month’s rain fall in just one day!

Kyle’s mum Debbie, who herself has suffered two strokes through the stress, said the new cabin will make a real difference to Kyle.

She said: “Not being able to live the normal life of a teenager has been horrible for Kyle and horrible for us to watch. This might just seem like a cabin at the bottom of the garden, but for us it’s completely life-changing. Kyle’s friends can now come to him and he can spend time with them like any other teenager without worrying about fainting or getting out of breath and me having to collect him. It also means he has a proper place to study and focus on his school work.”

During the project, the volunteers were fed and watered by kind-hearted members of the community who provided everything from chicken curry to cakes, while local businesses also got involved donating food and materials for the project.

Debbie added: “Having the Band of Builders here, and seeing what happens when they come – how people just get involved and want to help – is something we’ll never forget. It’s been great for all of us and I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done.”

Over the course of the week, Band of Builders volunteers erected the cabin at Kyle’s home from scratch, making it fully functioning and decorating it to provide an area for study as well as an area where he can relax with friends.