QUIDS FOR KIDS
Today’s your last chance to hand in old £1 coins and make a wish come true
THANKS to Make-A-Wish UK, the charity supported by The Daily Mail’s Quids for Kids campaign, two very brave girls have had their Christmas dreams come true.
Lucky Ella Baker, seven, met Father Christmas himself, while Victoria Calland, five, had a party fit for a princess.
And you can help to grant the wishes of even more children by supporting our Quids For Kids appeal.
Generous readers have helped to smash the £200,000 barrier by donating old £1 coins to Nationwide, which will be accepted until today, December 20.
But there is still plenty of time to donate to the appeal in other ways, which will help some of the 20,000 youngsters facing treatment in hospital over the festive period.
Christmas-mad Ella has always been small for her age. At first, her mother Casey didn’t think much of it, but their GP was worried Ella might be suffering from Turner Syndrome – a genetic disorder that affects one in every 2,000 girls. It can cause heart conditions, kidney problems and severe growth issues. And after a barrage of tests, the doctor’s fears for Ella were realised.
‘When I Googled the illness it broke my heart,’ her mother said. ‘She’s such a pretty little thing, you’d never guess there’s anything wrong with her – other than being so small.’
To boost her growth, Ella has a daily hormone injection.
‘It was very hard to begin with. She is terrified of needles and the injections leave bruises all over her thighs,’ she said.
But since she started a year ago she has grown 10cm – exceeding all the doctors’ expectations. At 11, the hope is that she will start puberty, but there’s no guarantee, as the illness affects the development of ovaries. But the real sting will come later. ‘We’ve been told there’s a 0.3 per cent chance of her being able to conceive,’ said her mother. ‘The thing that hurts most is knowing my baby can’t have babies.’
Little Ella’s future may be uncertain, but she is bravely taking it all in her stride.
And when she was offered her one true wish, she didn’t hesitate – she wanted to meet Santa Claus at Lapland UK, which she did at the weekend.
‘She loves Santa and reindeer,’ said Casey. ‘I’m so, so proud of her. She might be tiny, but she’s also so brave, courageous, kind, caring. She deserves this.’
Meanwhile, sparky Victoria got to be the belle of the ball.
She first fell ill when she was three years old, with a type of cancer called anaplastic embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.
And so there began a nightmare of hospitals, body scans and chemotherapy which would floor most children. But not Victoria.
‘She was always such a ball of energy,’ says her mother Jennifer, 43. ‘It was all we could do to stop her scooting up and down the ward when she was on her IV drip.’ With Victoria in hospital, the family was split in two – her mother staying by at her side and father Christopher, 45, at home with her brother Arthur, six, who has autism. During the nine long months Ella had chemotherapy, and the ten weeks in America having proton beam therapy, she missed her friends terribly.
But the chemotherapy had compromised her immune system and her parents could take no risks.
Her mother said: ‘It was very hard for her, but the thought of seeing them all again was the one thing that got her through the treatment.’ So when Make-A-Wish UK offered to grant a wish for Victoria, she knew exactly what she wanted. A giant party with all her friends, a Princess Belle entertainer, a vast My Little Pony cake, balloons, games and a special afternoon tea with real china. Oh yes, and a stretch pink limousine to transport her and her family.
‘The party was just the most wonderful thing,’ says her mother. ‘She was just so, so happy. The thought of it had kept her happy for so long.’ Today is the last day you can give to our brilliant appeal by handing your coins to the cashier at any Nationwide, stating that they are for the Mail’s Quids For Kids Make-A-Wish Foundation UK appeal.
But you can continue to send a donation directly to our fund – see the coupon below – or visit www.dailymail.co.uk/quidsforkids.