Help Nicola beat cancer

Aim

To raise sufficient funds to assist my grand daughter's family to pay everyday households bills whist she is undergoing cancer treatment

Some months ago our 14 year old granddaughter Nicola complained of back pains which began to gradually get worse. She went to her doctor who originally diagnosed growing pains or a trapped nerve, however the pain got worse. She began to find moving her arms and legs difficult  and in the end after phoning the doctor again it was decided to take her to A and E in Gloucester on the evening of Friday 8th October. There, she had a scan and it was discovered that she had a cancerous growth on her sixth vertebrae which was pressing on her spine and preventing the movement in her arms and legs. She was rushed to Bristol children's hospital at 3 o'clock on that morning and at 3 o'clock on the afternoon she underwent a five hour operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible.

The cancer she has is a very rare type that mainly affects children between the ages of 10 and 16. It is called Ewings Sarcoma and there are at present only about 36 children a year in the whole country suffering from this particular form of cancer. It can be a very aggressive form of cancer and in certain circumstances requires the removal of limbs to prevent the tumour from spreading. It has no known cause.

At present she is undergoing chemotherapy at Bristol. Her mother and father have spent the last ten weeks by her bedside in the hospital and at home. Unfortunately, due to family circumstances this has meant that her mother has had to relinquish her job to become Nicola's full time carer, travelling regularly to Bristol whilst Nicola undergoes her chemotherapy treatment which is expected to take six to nine months to complete and this has impacted on the families ability to pay everyday households bills like the mortgage.

At present Nicola has lost her hair as can be seen in the photos. She is such a beautiful girl and is always smiling even under the present circumstances.

Your help in fundraising would be greatly appreciated by her mother and father. This is a nightmare for the whole family and we are all heartbroken but very hopeful that she will make a full recovery as she is such a brave, beautiful and positive girl.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU,THANK YOU. We can't thank you all enough for your generosity and your kind words. The response to our appeal has overwhelmed us. You are all such wonderful people. 

LATEST UPDATE (24th Dec)

Nicola finished her latest round of chemotherapy and got home at 7.30 this evening. She can now enjoy Christmas with the family. Her next round of chemo starts the second week in January. She is also down to receive proton treatment which she has been told will make her a bit tired. She's got a new fantastic wig which makes her look more beautiful than ever.

Nicola  and her family would like to wish all of her supporters a very happy Christmas. We have all been so overwhelmed by your fabulous, fantastic  support and are very humbled by it.

This project successfully funded on 12th January 2022