Before I say goodbye to my lovely long blonde locks I want to raise 100% of my target so dig deep and donate to a beautiful 2 year old girl that needs our help.

The headshave will be taking place on 28 January inside the Boots Store Chatham and Hekkles Hair and Beauty have kindly said that they will do the honours in scalping me.  If you are in Chatham on the day around lunchtime come along and watch and dont forget to bring some change to donate and purchase a wristband to show your support.

I have known Rubys family for some years and was compelely devestated to find out about Ruby having Stage 4 Neuroblastoma.  I cannot begin to imagine what they are going through and wanted to do something to support them and raise the money that Ruby needs to get the treatment that she deserves.On September 25th, Ruby Laura Young was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer.  

Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer that almost always occurs in infants and young children. It's actually the most common type of cancer in infants, but it's still rare enough that many doctors have never cared for a child with neuroblastoma.

Not long after Ruby’s 2nd birthday, Ruby’s parents Victoria and Rob were aware that their daughter’s behaviour had changed.  “Ruby became quiet and withdrawn” explains Victoria “Ruby started to refuse food - she was infamous for her huge appetite!”

Other vague symptoms included a wheezy chest. Once Ruby began a course of prescribed allergy medication. This seemed to help, but her appetite was not improving. 

“Ruby was clingy, unhappy and vomiting,” says Victoria. Ruby’s parents immediately took their daughter to the local Accident and Emergency department. By this point Ruby had stopped eating completely. She lost so much weight that a worrying growth in her stomach became visible.

Ruby was quickly transferred to St. George’s hospital where a tumour biopsy was the first planned surgical procedure for Ruby.  Her blood pressure was so high that the medical team considered it too dangerous to go ahead. Only when Ruby’s blood pressure was under control did the biopsy take place - the results of which left Ruby’s parents shocked and devastated. 

Their 2 year old daughter Ruby had stage 4, high risk neuroblastoma – an aggressive childhood cancer “When we found out about Ruby's diagnosis we were in complete shock, it all seemed surreal (and still does) and we were absolutely devastated. We couldn't believe this was happening to our little Ruby,” says Victoria.

 As with more than half of children diagnosed with neuroblastoma, the cancer had spread throughout Ruby’s body by the time she was diagnosed, making her condition one of the most difficult kinds of childhood cancer to treat.

“Ruby had a large tumour in her abdomen going up her spine and disease in her bone marrow” says her mother, Victoria. “The tumour was pressing on her internal organs and made her extremely poorly. Her belly was swelling up and pushing on her lungs. She could hardly breathe and needed oxygen."

The family are fundraising for the NCCA UK to help Ruby, and other children like her, should she need to follow an expensive treatment path. With a high risk neuroblastoma diagnosis, the probability of relapse is high. Through Ruby’s Journey, the NCCA UK can ensure that every possible avenue for treatment is open to her.

Victoria describes Ruby as “a very brave 2-year-old who loves babies, drawing, playing with her brother’s toys and eating cheese!”

Please help us to help Ruby, and children like her, by making a donation to the NCCA UK. Every donation made for the NCCA UK, no matter how small, will make a difference.

If you can help by holding or organising a fundraising event to raise money please contact the fundraising team at the NCCA UK on 020 7284 0800.

See more at: www.ncca-uk.org/

All donations are paid into NCCA UK’s general funds to further its general charitable purposes.  The funds raised by this Journey are not restricted for Rubys’s use.  However, the trustees of NCCA UK have agreed to designate funds raised by this Journey to help Ruby and her family pay for potential future treatment costs and all other associated costs including travel and accommodation.  If Ruby no longer needs the funds, or if the trustees decide, at their absolute discretion, that the funds should be used for a different purpose, they may redesignate all or part of the funds for NCCA UK’s general charitable purposes.  We are very grateful for your charitable donation.  For further information about NCCA UK and how we spend donations, please see our FAQs http://www.ncca-uk.org/faqs 

Thank you.

NCCA UK

www.ncca-uk.org