Theme park trip for battling boy
Harley Ingham and Isabel Ingham, with Shirley Kilner and Martina Bradshaw from Help A Child Have A Chance.
LEGOLAND here we come!
A five-year-old boy who suffers from a rare genetic condition that affects his organs is set to enjoy a trip to a top theme park thanks to the 12 Days of Christmas appeal.
Harley Ingham, from High Green, has cystinosis, which has damaged his kidneys and could spread to other areas of his body in future.
Last year Harley’s family and friends held a sponsored walk which raised £10,000 for The Cystinosis Foundation - and now the youngster is getting help from a good cause himself.
Sheffield charity Help A Child Have A Chance is paying to send Harley, his mum Paula, dad Paul and older sister Isabel to Legoland Windsor, including overnight accommodation for the family of four.
The 12 Days of Christmas appeal, run in association with The Star, offers needy youngsters across the region a chance of receiving a share of £10,000.
Nominations flooded in following an appeal and the winners are now being revealed in The Star.
Paula, aged 43, said she thought it was ‘brilliant’ that Harley was receiving his special day out.
“He’ll love it, he’s really into Lego,” she said.
“He’s really excited.”
Harley’s condition is characterised by an abnormal accumulation of the amino acid cystine, which attacks the body’s organs.
He has shown signs of the illness in his eyes with the presence of ‘crystals’, and his kidneys have also been affected.
The organs are not functioning properly, meaning he is losing out on vital sodium, potassium and phosphates, which the body needs in order to stay healthy.
Harley, a pupil at High Green Primary School, has started taking medication to treat his cystinosis, although the long-term effectiveness of the drugs is not yet known.
Both Paula and Paul also carry the condition, which only affects around 2,000 people worldwide.
n See The Star tomorrow for the final 12 Days of Christmas winner. For more details about the charity, call 07507 600 146 or visit www.helpachildhaveachance.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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