THANKS to staggering donations from generous well-wishers of more than £200,000 in just nine weeks, little Lilly MacGlashan flew to New York on Sunday for vital life-saving treatment.
The Gazette first highlighted the Help Lilly Appeal in January and encouraged readers to dig deep and give what they could to support the campaign to raise £300,000 to send the cancer-stricken baby to America for pioneering drug therapy.
The response was phenomenal. Overwhelming community support from donations and fundraising events in the past two months has collected two-thirds of the cash needed to fund the trip.
Lilly, who suffers with a rare cancer called neuroblastoma, headed across the Atlantic on Sunday with mum Dawn, dad John and twin sister Molly, to continue her fight for survival.
The tiny tot’s big sister, Danielle Newell, told the Gazette: “We are over the moon. It was really upsetting to see them go because we don’t know how long they will be gone for but she is getting what she needs.”
The family, of Lowther Road, Dunstable, hope to start the treatment as soon as possible. It could take anything from five months to a year to deliver the full course of drugs and rid Lilly’s body of the terrible disease.
So Danielle is keen to encourage more fundraising, as Lilly still needs another £100,000 to reach the £300,000 target that will cover all her treatment.
Danielle told the Gazette: “We still need to fundraise as we haven’t yet got the full amount of money.”
The Neuroblastoma Alliance have given a grant towards the deposit for Lilly’s initial consultation but the family are still reliant on kind-hearted donors giving cash in order to fulfil the dream of getting Lilly all the medical attention she needs.
Danielle herself took part in a skydive recently with her friend Angie Giddins to generate more money for her beloved sibling.
They raised around £4,000.
Danielle said: “I was terrified but once I did it, it was amazing.
“It was nice because my mum brought Lilly and Molly up to watch so I couldn’t back out.”
And she is not the only one collecting cash.
Matthew Callanan is hosting a Help For Lilly Golf Day at South Beds Golf Club, Luton, on April 21.
And Lilly’s Band – who appeared in this newspaper a fortnight ago looking for a venue to host their benefit gig for Lilly – will now have their event on April 15 after Vauxhall Recreation Centre offered its facility for the concert.
Carey Adams, whose son Bradley is the lead singer in the metal group, said: “The band are thrilled. They’ve worked so hard and they are getting more and more excited as the days pass.”
> To support the Help Lilly Appeal call Danielle on 07922 921347 or visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LillyMacglashan
