Charitable Plea - Can you help a 13 year old girl keep walking?

[-Ralph-]

Charitable Plea -



Alyssa is my niece, she is 13 years old, her nickname is Alycat, and she has a severe spinal deformation, which left untreated would result in her loosing her mobility. The condition is called Scoliosis and Alyssa has a 59 degree spinal curve which is only worsening as she grows, her shoulders, shoulder blades and hips are already being pushed significantly out of position, and she is wearing a rigid fibre-glass body brace 22 hours per day to hold her torso in the right position, which is painful.

In America scoliosis treatment is very advanced, and they offer a pioneering operation named Vertebratal Body Tethering (VBT) which essentially means screwing a cleat into each vertebrate, straightening the spine, and tightening a metal cable along the cleats to hold it straight, just like putting a brace on a teenagers teeth! This operation isn't available in the UK, on the NHS, or through any medical insurance available in the UK.

The cost of the operation is up to £140,000. My Sister and Brother in Law have already re-mortgaged their house in order to raise funds, but they just don't have anything like that kind of equity. So the point of this post is to fundraise, and to ask the members of this forum for any help they can give, I know how great bikers are at pulling together when someone is in need.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this and for any support you can give.

1. Simply make a personal donation using the Golden Giving, all donations will be processed through umbrella charity Tree of Hope, a children’s charity who exist to help in personal fundraising cases such as these, where setting up a separate charity wouldn't be feasible.

http://www.goldengiving.com/wall/project-alycat

2. Please share this link on your facebook pages and help raise awareness.

https://www.facebook.com/projectalycat

3. Are you planning a marathon, a triathlon, a tough mudder, a cycle race, and need a charity to support?

4. Are you a member of a club or organisation that could help?

5. I don't have a number five! Do you? We need fundraising ideas, and people to get involved, can you think of anything that would raise money for Alyssa's cause?

Thank you everyone for your support!

[nug800]

I am disgusted at this so called "great" nation of ours! The NHS will fund treatment for fat lazy people who have inflicted themselves with health issues thanks to over indulgence & unhealthy living. Why can they not fund the necessary treatment for a youngster who has they're whole life ahead of them ?

I will gladly donate to help Alyssa & wish her & her family the best of luck for the future (thumbs)

[big al]

Count me in for a donation (thumbs)
Big al

[sprintster]

Donation sent and shared on Facebook.I hope you reach your target,Ralph! (thumbs)

[sprintster]

I'm not pushy enough to find sponsors,but I've always thought that if I did do something for charity a ride around Britain in 10 days would be pretty good.No motorways or dual carriage ways allowed.350 miles every day,for 10 days...do-able,but not a walk in the park!

[92kk k100lt 193214]

My youngest daughter has scoliosis, it was in her mum's family. She has probably been a bit more fortunate in the severity but it was diagnosed very late after a lot of damage had been done. 59 degrees is very serious.

The surgery is quite amazing and it can allow someone to lead quite a normal life. It is sad its not on NHS simply because there is a payback for the country and at 13 it would be self financing. Aside from fundraising political pressure is needed.

Will send a PM.

[Tim Cullis]

I am disgusted at this so called "great" nation of ours! The NHS will fund treatment for fat lazy people who have inflicted themselves with health issues thanks to over indulgence & unhealthy living. Why can they not fund the necessary treatment for a youngster who has they're whole life ahead of them ?

Ralph didn't say no treatment is available, just not this particular one. There is a procedure called spinal fusion freely available in the UK, presumably what Ralph's relatives have identified is superior.

[-Ralph-]

Thanks everyone for the donations coming in, it's amazing, blew me away last night when I saw them on the golden giving page from people we'd never met.

[-Ralph-]

Ralph didn't say no treatment is available, just not this particular one. There is a procedure called spinal fusion freely available in the UK, presumably what Ralph's relatives have identified is superior.

Thanks Tim. Yes, it's not a case of the NHS won't do anything or spend the money, the spinal fusion would cost the NHS about the same amount, it's becasue America is so far ahead in Scoliosis research, that the UK don't do this yet.

The VBT operation has a very high success rate, recovery in weeks, is not permanent because it doesn't remove a section of spine that can never be put back, and it still leaves the option of another operation 20-30 years time when hopefully the spinal fusion will be dead and buried, and the VBT considered old hat.

[-Ralph-]

My youngest daughter has scoliosis, it was in her mum's family. She has probably been a bit more fortunate in the severity but it was diagnosed very late after a lot of damage had been done. 59 degrees is very serious.

The surgery is quite amazing and it can allow someone to lead quite a normal life. It is sad its not on NHS simply because there is a payback for the country and at 13 it would be self financing. Aside from fundraising political pressure is needed.

Will send a PM.

Thanks will reply shortly.

Project Alycat is intended to continue long after Alyssa is sorted. My sister has been interviewed by the BBC already and is hoping for a slot with ITV. The aim is to raise awareness, apply political pressure, and bring the VBT operation to the UK, it's already available in other European countries such as Spain.