Kind youngsters raise more than £700 for Flora
KIND-HEARTED youngsters have been cooking up a storm to help a five-year-old girl with a rare form of cancer.
Flora Gentleman was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a form of cancer that affects children, mostly under the age of five – when she was just two years old.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of pounds have been raised to help cover the cost of her treatment, some of which has taken place in the USA.
Further funds are being raised to help the youngster, who lives in Haddington, to travel back to America once her NHS treatment ends.
Ruari Dannfald, Nairn Campbell, Alex Rashdan and Jessica Gray, all from Longniddry, chose to hold a bake sale to help Flora after one of them read about the fundraising idea in a book called Kindness.
Supported by Longniddry Villa Football Club, where the boys are members, the bake sale took place late last month and proved incredibly popular, selling out in just over an hour.
Together, the children raised £765 for Flora.
The parents of Nairn, Ruari, Alex and Jess said: “We are so grateful to everyone that supported the children’s fundraising efforts, from helping with baking to coming along on the day to buy some of the amazing cakes, as well as Longniddry Villa who kindly hosted us.
“We cannot imagine the reality of what Flora and her family have to go through on a daily basis and are very proud that our children have chosen to help them in their own way.”
The bake sale was not the first time that Ruari has supported Flora’s fundraising. Two years ago, having cycled from his home in Longniddry to his then nursery in Haddington, he raised nearly £4,000.
Since then, the family have followed Flora’s journey and felt compelled to support her once again after she relapsed.
Flora’s mum Stephanie was thankful for the support.
She said: “It is really nice to see other people doing it.
“It takes a lot off of us and gives us space and time with Flora to do fun things. “We are so grateful.” In early 2021, after several hospital appointments, Flora was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
In the months that followed, Flora was not herself and her parents were given the devastating news that she had high-risk neuroblastoma, which has a 40-50 per cent chance of long-term survival at diagnosis.
Flora’s family
We cannot imagine the reality of what Flora has to go through and are very proud our children have chosen to help
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