**Info on getting your tickets for online event "Dance for David" on 25th June below**
About David and Philo
David is the son of my friend Philomena who I have known since May 2020 through Zumba. Philomena is a single mother with 2 sons David and Eugene. Phylo was a cervical cancer survivor when I met her and things were beginning to look better for her and her family as I managed to fundraise to enable her to start teaching Zumba gold classes for a cancer survivor charity, providing fitness to her fellow cancer survivors. While doing so, Phylo was able to continue advocacy work to raise awareness of HPV vaccines and campaign for better support for cancer survivors and their families. Things were improving for Phylo and her family.
Sadly, after months of pain in her abdomen, in October Phylo went to see the doctor and was told that there was a tumour pressing on her kidney. Her cervical cancer has returned. Phylo was got very sick through her treatment, and she had to stop after her fifth chemo session as her kidney was failing her. Phylo is unable to find work given her poor health and the stigma of looking unwell (and was indeed feeling unwell still). This is where she is now in June 2022.
Over the past 2 years I have been able to help raise funds to support Phylo to try and get her on her feet, to get better and to try and get income for her family. The latest blow has pretty much dismantled all the progress she made. From the last round of treatment, and because this is a recurrent cancer, Phylo’s treatment was not covered by government aid and have been paid for by myself and kind donations from many others wishing her well.
There are many worries that Phylo has – some of which money can solve, but unfortunately that is one thing she does not have. There is only so much financial support that is available to Phylo and her family, and only so much that I can do to support her.
I’ve therefore decided that going forward, I would like to set up an educational fund for David to ensure that he gets the education he needs to reach his potential and as a way to help Phylo lighten her burden as a mother and to have chance for their family to break out of poverty through education. It sounds like an absolute cliché but unfortunately this is the reality for Phylo and her family.
25th June 'Dance for David' fundraiser event
I connected with Philo through Zumba and fitness and thus I want to support her family through dance. We are having a dance fitness party on 25 June 2022 to raise as much money as we can to secure David's future. The event will involve instructors from all over the world across time zones. The day will be in the form of 90-minute sessions - here are the confirmed sessions (more will be added as I confirm the instructors)
* UK 9-10.30am (start CEST/CAT 10am, PDT 1am, CDT 3am, EDT 4am)
* UK 2-3.30pm (start CEST/CAT 3pm, PDT 6am, CDT 8am, EDT 9am)
* UK 6-7.30pm (start CEST/CAT 7pm, PDT 10am, CDT 12nn, EDT 1pm)
* UK 9-10.30pm (start CEST/CAT 10pm, PDT 1pm, CDT 2pm, EDT 3pm)
You are very welcomed to join us. Your donation is very appreciated. Please drop Eric an email to get your zoom log in details for the online event: [email protected]