Folks,
One of the very few perks available to a PPRuNe Moderator is to be able to support and endorse limited numbers of charity appeals on the site, usually restricted to the Forum you moderate.
With that in mind, I'd like to provide support, and ask for yours, for the family of one of our recently retired ATC colleagues. Richard (Taff) Hale was an Assistant Air Traffic Controller, firstly with the RAF (including tours in RAF Germany), and then with NATS at Scottish Centre, before finally retiring from Prestwick Centre in late 2011. Those who know Taff will be aware that he is a larger than life character, who is also extremely loud
, but above all was a supportive and loyal colleague, as well as a good friend, to all those who worked with him.
Like all Grandfathers, Taff dotes on his grand daughter, Vanessa, aged 11.
When she was 8, in Feb 2009, Vanessa was diagnosed with Stage 4 (High-Risk) Neuroblastoma, a very rare, aggressive and difficult to treat form of childhood cancer. Fewer than 100 children in the UK are diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year, most of whom are below the age of 5 and generally have a better prognosis because the older the child is, the worse the prognosis will be.
Since Feb 09, Vanessa has undergone many different treatments at Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow, including 12 rounds
(YES - TWELVE!!) of High Dose Chemotherapy, two 7 hour surgical operations, the removal of one of her kidneys, a stem cell transplant, Radiotherapy, Retinoic Acid treatment and Immunotherapy treatment……all of which was agonising to watch for her parents and family, never mind to have to endure as a child!
Having undergone all this difficult and often very painful treatment the fact remained that due to a high relapse rate with this disease, the long term prognosis for Vanessa's survival remained very poor with a less than a 40% survival rate. All the same, Vanessa finished her treatment at Yorkhill Hospital in Aug 2010 and was shortly afterwards given the 'all clear' by the medical experts. Brilliant news, until .......
In Dec 2011 after routine scans, her parents were given the devastating news that Vanessa had relapsed. She has many hotspots which have developed on the skull, neck, spine, leg, & knees. The UK doctors have told the family that this time round there is very little chance of survival; “much less than 10%” they said, as we do not have any relapse protocols in the UK. This is due to the UK Government not investing any money into relapse treatments for this disease. This is a very different story to the United States where there are many relapse protocols.
By taking Vanessa there, there is hope that treatment can dramatically increase her chances of long term survival. Taff and his family are now in the position of urgently having to take Vanessa to the United States for this relapse therapy treatment which the NHS will not fund. The treatment Vanessa requires is likely to involve Antibody Therapy and will cost in excess of £500,000. Vanessa’s latest scan results will be used to determine which therapy is best and this is likely to happen at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Which is where you come in and can help.
Please help us to raise the funds in order to save Vanessa’s life.
You can help by donating money, no matter the size of the donation. There are several methods of doing this detailed below at the end.
If you work for NATS, you could consider donating your next overtime or voluntary attendance shift money to the Appeal. Or make a one off donation from your pay. The great thing about these donations is that the Appeal will get the money PLUS the tax you would have paid on the money earned IMMEDIATELY. The mechanism for this is being set up through the Give As You Earn Scheme and as soon as it is in place, I will post the details for NATS staff who wish to contribute in this way.
You could also consider donating something for an auction or raffle. Various events are to be held over the coming months where we will use these generous gifts to help boost the fund. Already an extremely kind and generous ATCO has donated a boxing glove signed by 10 times world champion Manny Pacquiao, as well as signed football shirts from Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. What a great collection for any sports fan !!
Or raise some funds on your own however you see fit. Sponsored events like parachute jumps or walks. It's up to you
If you wish to donate, then in the UK you can donate by text message by texting VANY99 and your amount from £1 - £10 to text number 70070. For example, to donate £5, simply text VANY99 5 Or you can donate through the Justgiving Website
Vanessa Riddle Appeal where you can read more about the little girl and see what has been done so far for the fund. If you are a UK taxpayer, then by selecting Gift Aid with your donation, you will also force the taxman to give Vanessa your hard earned tax on the amount. Help Vanessa and screw the taxman. Win - Win !!
Please,
EVERY single penny counts, no matter how little. The Appeal and Vanessa
really mean that, and are grateful beyond words for anything you can do.
Thank you for reading and donating.
Thank you for being a PPRuNer with a big big heart !!
Richard (Taff) Hale and 10W
And especially a
BIG BIG THANK YOU from Vanessa XX