More than £3,000 raised for teen with rare genetic condition
Olivia Windle, 16, of Killamarsh, has a life-limiting neurodegenerative condition called juvenile Batten disease, for which there is no known cure.
She was diagnosed at the age of seven and the once perfectly-healthy girl has lost her sight, suffers from seizures and is beginning to lose the ability to walk.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA group of firefighters who will take part in a special fundraising event have smashed their initial £3,000 target and are now aiming for £5,000.
Olivia’s mum, Michelle, 41, said: “When we first heard about Batten’s disease I didn’t know what it was – our lives were turned upside down. Olivia was a normal seven-year-old playing with her friends and her dolls. Then she started saying she couldn’t see the lines on a page or her friends in the playground.”
The firefighters got involved after hearing about Olivia’s story through Michelle’s mum, who works at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital.
They do a rally every year for a different charity. It will take place over 3,000 miles across five days.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe money raised will go towards a new wheelchair, a walker, a rise and recline chair and a wet room.
Olivia, who lives in Killamarsh with mum Michelle, dad Russell, 42, and brothers Harrison, 13, and four-year-old Finley, loves to dance and is a big Harry Potter fan.
“There are times when I could just sit in a cupboard and cry but we try to take each day as it comes,” Michelle said.
“The people of Killamarsh have been amazing in supporting us as a family through both the good and the bad times.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOn reaching their fundraising target, the group said: “All the money we raise will be used towards purchasing specialist equipment for Olivia to make her life that little bit better.”
n For more information, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/OliviaSBRally.