BRAVE ZAC’S GIFT OF LIFE
Family’s joy as mystery donor contacts Daily Mail to give final £100,000 needed to f ly four-year-old to US for leukaemia treatment
THE parents of little leukaemia patient Zac Oliver reached his £500,000 treatment target last night after a mystery donor read of his plight in the Daily Mail and gave £100,000.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was moved to offer Hannah Oliver-Willets and Mark Garbett the final amount needed to fly Zac, four, to a US hospital for potentially life-saving treatment.
The couple said they were overjoyed that Zac – who was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukaemia in May – had been offered a lifeline by the generous donor.
Mrs Oliver-Willets, 33, described the benefactor as ‘ absolutely amazing’, adding: ‘ Some people are just born special with a desire to help others.
‘They have given us a massive gift – the gift of life for Zac, hopefully.
‘But so did everybody else who helped us – the children who emptied their moneyboxes or sold their flapjacks at school cake sales.
‘Words just aren’t enough for us to express how much we appreciate everyone’s help, the support the donor is offering, and the publicity given by the Daily Mail.
‘We just want to get to America now and get Zac in treatment.’
Since the Mail publicised Zac’s plight on Monday, more than £20,000 has been donated via the family’s JustGiving page and a special text message number.
The family aims to fly to America next month. But Zac must complete a week of chemotherapy at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford next week, and will then need a week’s rest before flying.
Mr Garbett said: ‘We have been in a state of shock since we found the money had been donated. Thank you so much to everyone who helped us.’
The couple had managed to raise £400,000 in little over a month thanks to the efforts of neighbours in Broseley, near Telford, and the rest of Shropshire.
In addition to a series of local events, one stranger donated £700 after being told of Zac’s plight by his mother during a chance encounter in a petrol station.
Last Sunday, the family organised ZacFest in Telford Town Park, which with live music, stalls and a funfair is thought to have raised £10,000.
Celebrities including Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler and footballer Jermain Defoe have backed the appeal, while X Factor star Simon Cowell pledged £50,000.
‘We can’t thank this man enough’
Local lad Finnley Wiggan, 13, auctioned his prized signed Arsenal shirt – only for the buyer to be so moved by his generosity that he donated money to Zac and let Finnley keep the shirt.
Mrs Oliver-Willets – who separated from Mr Garbett before Zac was born and now lives with her husband Wayne Willets, 37, a plasterer, their son Leo, three, and Zac – said the family was still waiting for £116,000 which has been pledged or raised to be handed in and banked.
They need all the money to satisfy US authorities and the American hospital offering the treatment that they have the means to fund it and support themselves in America.
Only then will Zac be given a hospital appointment and he and his family issued with visas.
Mrs Oliver-Willets said: ‘ We now need all the money that has been pledged to come in to us in order to gain financial clearance and have our long-stay visas issued.’ Zac is believed to be the only child in the UK with the Near-Haploid strain of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a condition that affects only one in 200 childhood leukaemia patients worldwide. Doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia say its 17-week CAR T-cell therapy will give Zac a 60-80 per cent chance of survival, as opposed to less than 25 per cent if he continues with chemotherapy or has a bone marrow transplant, which are the only options available to him in Britain.
Mrs Oliver-Willets, an occupational therapist, said: ‘It’s really exciting to know the end is in sight.
‘If all goes well, Zac could be starting back at school. He’s only been able to go for one hour. He’s like a sponge and can’t wait to get back to classes.’
Mr Garbett, 37, a plumber, said of the £100,000 benefactor: ‘It’s fantastic, we can’t thank this man enough. We have been working around the clock fundraising for the last month, but Zac’s story being reported nationally has proved crucial.
‘The Mail’s story has helped get us over the line to help to try and save our son.
‘It was a big shock to find out somebody had come forward pledging that amount of money.’
Mrs Oliver-Willets and Mr Garbett said any money left over from their appeal following Zac’s treatment in America will be redistributed to help other sick children.