Generous Anita sums up spirit of our appeal

IN JUST two weeks, donations to our appeal have passed the £10,000 mark, thanks to our wonderful readers. Cheques and postal orders have been arriving at our Glasgow office by the bundle. Among them was £50 from Anita Bayne, of Larbert, who summed up perfectly the importance of our campaign to raise money for life-saving equipment.  Her granddaughter Arlene, from Bonnybridge, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year.  She’s only eight and yet Anita says she has faced her illness with unimaginable bravery for someone so young. Despite an operation, surgeons were unable to remove the whole tumour. After undergoing radiotherapy for several months, the little girl now has two tubes in her head to drain any fluid from the brain. Courage But Anita says Arlene’s courage has given them all strength.  “She’s a brave wee lassie, and the staff at Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital have been marvellous. They’re amazing people. There’s a chance the tumour could come back, although she’s fine just now.  “We simply have to take it as it comes,” says Anita, who with the rest of her family is now waiting for the results of Arlene’s latest brain scan. “At the moment children have to travel to the Western General for scans. It would be easier on families if they had the equipment at the Sick Kids Hospital.  “I decided to donate something to the appeal because I want to help families like ours. You don’t realise how vital this equipment is until you need it yourself.” So please keep the donations coming in.  The sick children of Scotland and their families deserve our help. Back to campaign main page

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