I want one last holiday for gran and our family
PARIS HAS COMPLETED 68 ACTS OF KINDNESS TO RAISE CASH
A YOUNG Derby woman has raised more than £3,500 to pay for one last family holiday for her gran.
Paris McKenzie was stunned when she was told the news that her grandmother Emily Webster had stage-four lung cancer.
So Paris, 19, decided to carry out 68 acts of kindness – the same age as Emily – to help fund a holiday for her gran and her extended family – their first, and tragically last, holiday with them all together.
Paris said: “My grandma wanted all her kids and grandkids to come. We’ve never all been together as a family. I haven’t seen some of my cousins in years.”
So far, Paris has been able to raise £3,496 from 191 donors on her Go Fund Me page.
She has been able to book an Air BnB in Devon from February 5 to February 12.
“She loves Devon, and the family love Devon, we’re restricted where we can pick because of Covid but the place we’ve booked is quite isolated.
“My grandma has chemotherapy at the end of this month and mid-January,” says Paris. “So early February is the earliest she can go. Any other money I raise will go to making the holiday special or to sending her grandkids to a theme park – that was something else she wanted.”
Paris, born and bred in Derby, attends university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the USA, on a football scholarship after playing for Birmingham Ladies and England Ladies at under-16 to under-19 level.
She was told the news about her gran in October when her mother called her.
“My mum told me and I think the family were processing it for a while. At the beginning of November my grandma told me she wanted to raise money.”
Emily, from Normanton, had
been unwell ll with hh chest problems bl for several years. Scans initially pointed to something other than cancer, but then doctors realised the disease had spread across her chest and throat.
Without treatment she was told she would have four to six months to live. With treatment it was estimated that the best-case scenario was a year to 18 months.
This was especially difficult news as, only the month before, Paris’s 18-year-old brother Nikam Daniel had successfully finished three years of treatment for lymphoma, which is a type of blood cancer. Paris said: “I went to my coaches and asked ‘can I run a half marathon?’ I explained I was trying to raise money, they vetoed that, saying that it wasn’t good for me football-wise, but we’ll come up with ideas to do something.”
The acts of kindness were suggested by Paris’s head coach, Heather Dyke. Paris set about completing them at once. “Over the last five weeks me and my friends and family have powered through them and we finished two days ago,” recalls Paris. “They range from donating to causes, standing in the street with a sign, giving money to the homeless, anything.
“I’ve done the majority but some of my friends f and df family lh have done some too, both in America and England.
“One that always stands out to me, I stood in the middle of one of the main streets in Albuquerque with a sign that said: ‘You matter, you’re enough.’
“And my roommate Sarah had another sign which said: ‘Have a great day’ and it was really cool because a lot of people looked at us wondering what we were doing and then read the sign as they drove past and smiled. So I liked that one because it was so simple and easy to do but affected so many people.”
Paris is also doing a sponsored skydive on January 31, something which she says has always been on her bucket list, so she is glad she can do it for a good cause.
She described her grandma as one of the most supportive people in her life.
“She is honestly just really sweet. She’s only really been in our lives for the last five years or so because her and mum drifted apart and then got back together but ever since she has been the kind of person that just supports you in any way possible.
“She constantly tries to send me money, ask me how I am, she is the kind of person who tracks my flight from England to America just to make sure I’m okay. She’s just really sweet. She is really supportive in everything I do.”
If you would like to donate to Paris’s cause, you can do so by visiting her Go Fund Me page (search for “Paris McKenzie”).
She has been the kind of person that just supports you in any way possible.
Paris McKenzie