Raised to fly children out to see mum
FAMILY, friends, and strangers raised £5,000 in 24 hours so two little girls can visit their mum while she has life-saving treatment in America.
Lindsey Morton, 33, has been told the NHS will fund specialist proton beam therapy in Jacksonville, Florida.
She will fly to the States later this year but faced being apart from her daughters, Harper, aged one, and Lexie, five, for nine weeks.
However a crowdfunding appeal launched by a friend raised £5,700 in just one day, meaning the children, and her partner, Ben Jackson, will be able to go and see her during her treatment.
Lindsey, from Denton, was diagnosed with a malignant tumour on her spine last August - just eight months after giving birth to Harper, and while she was still on maternity leave.
The Christie Hospital in Manchester had a 90-tonne proton beam therapy machine delivered in June and in August this year NHS patients will be able to receive the treatment in the UK for the first time there - but Lindsey’s condition means she can’t wait.
Lindsey was diagnosed with a Peripheral Neurofibrosarcoma/ Schwannoma Nerve Sheath Tumour.
But she also had cancer as a child and lost a kidney and part of her bowels due to a malignant Wilms Tumour.
Due to her medical history, and having only one kidney, her team of consultants have decided that regular treatments of radiotherapy and chemotherapy are too risky.
Instead they applied for her to be treated with proton beam therapy.
Lindsey’s mum, Gill Morton, will go with her to America. Now thanks to an appeal launched by Lindsey’s friend, Danielle Brockley, her daughters, Ben, and her dad, Pete, will be able to fly out to see her.
Ben, 33, said: “The generosity of people has blown me away. I have cried more over this than the whole situation with Lindsey.
“We didn’t want to set up a funding page - it was our problem and we had to try and deal with it.
“Reluctantly we let Danielle set one up.”
Lindsey said: “I’m so overwhelmed by it all. “I am never away from them, so the prospect of nine weeks was hard.
“It is a bittersweet thing. I am very grateful to be having the treatment - but will be so far away from home. Having my daughters, Ben, and dad come out will be such a boost.”
Visit at https://www.gofundme.com/ lindsey-in-the-usa-with-family