Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page for The Joshua Deller appeal.

WELL DONE GIRLS! YOU ALL DID FANTASTICALLY WELL IN THE AEROBATHON ON SUNDAY!

Every Single member that took part did the full 2 & 1/4 hours - that's amazing! They even did it with a smile on their faces too! Please make your donation now to support the efforts of these fantastic ladies and to help us reach our target so that we can help little Joshua get the life-saving treatment that he so deperately needs.

 

Amy Francis used to be a member at our Teddington class. She worked tirelessly to reach her weight loss goal and was crowned as one of Rosemary's Regional Slimmers of the Year, having lost just over 9 stone!! Her achievement was further highlighted when she was chosen to be the 'cover girl' for the national Rosemary Conley magazine in June 2006 and became an inspiration for thousands of women and an Ambassador for our Club!

Shortly after reaching her amazing goal, Amy got married and soon after that was delighted to discover she was pregnant. Having also battled PCOS (Polycistic ovary syndrome) when she was much heavier, this news was especially rewarding for Amy and her husband Stephen. Amy gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy, Joshua, in May 2008 and life was good.

Sadly, their tale takes a horrendous u-turn when a few months later, on Chrismas Eve, it was discovered that Amy's son had stage 4 neuroblastoma – a rare and often fatal childhood cancer. Joshua has since endured treatments that no baby should ever have to go through including high-dose chemotherapy, radiotherapy, major surgery, bone marrow and stem cell harvest and transplant, but throughout all this, brave little Joshua has managed to smile, play and even laugh.

In spite of the best efforts of Joshua’s team at Great Ormond Street Hospital, his chances of survival are heartbreakingly slim. The likelihood of relapse is very high, possibly as high as 80%, and to date there is no cure in the UK for a relapse. His best chance of beating this wicked disease forever, and avoiding a relapse, lies with an antibody treatment currently only available in the USA, but with a huge price tag – upwards of $500,000.

It is for this reason that Amy and her husband have launched an urgent appeal for Joshua and why I decided to organise this event. All monies raise will go directly to Joshua’s treatment (his and his family's travel has been kindly donated by Continental Airlines).

 

Thank you so much in advance for your support - it means everything.

 

Lorna x

 

To contact Lorna Angus, Club Leader, for further details regarding Joshua's appeal or to enquire about classes in your area, please either email me on lornasdietclub@hotmail.co.uk or call 020 8941 8143.

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.