Skydiving for Unbeatable Eva
Donation protected
This year is a big birthday for me – 21 again… if only.
This December, I turn 70 years young, and to celebrate, I will be throwing myself from a plane in a skydive on 5th December. I will be jumping from 10,000 feet at 12pm from Tilstock Airfield, and am doing so for a very special cause.
Some of you are aware, but earlier this year my 10 year old great-niece, Eva, was given a devastating diagnosis called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). DIPG is a cancerous tumour which grows in the brain stem, and so cannot be operated on, and chemotherapy has no effect.
The only UK treatment option is radiotherapy, which offers temporary respite against the symptoms, but after a few months, the tumour grows back more aggressively and quickly than before.
The average survival time for children post-diagnosis is less than 12 months.
In the USA, there are a number of clinical trials being run which are starting to offer some hope to families affected by DIPG, showing life extending results. Unfortunately, for families outside the US, without a US healthcare plan, these trials cost hundreds of thousands of pounds just to get access – some in excess of a million dollars – putting them out of reach for most.
The family have been raising money already, but to help, I am asking for people to sponsor my jump and help get Eva treatment abroad. If you can spare anything at all, please donate as every single pound helps get them closer to travelling..
…and of course, wish me luck!!
This December, I turn 70 years young, and to celebrate, I will be throwing myself from a plane in a skydive on 5th December. I will be jumping from 10,000 feet at 12pm from Tilstock Airfield, and am doing so for a very special cause.
Some of you are aware, but earlier this year my 10 year old great-niece, Eva, was given a devastating diagnosis called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). DIPG is a cancerous tumour which grows in the brain stem, and so cannot be operated on, and chemotherapy has no effect.
The only UK treatment option is radiotherapy, which offers temporary respite against the symptoms, but after a few months, the tumour grows back more aggressively and quickly than before.
The average survival time for children post-diagnosis is less than 12 months.
In the USA, there are a number of clinical trials being run which are starting to offer some hope to families affected by DIPG, showing life extending results. Unfortunately, for families outside the US, without a US healthcare plan, these trials cost hundreds of thousands of pounds just to get access – some in excess of a million dollars – putting them out of reach for most.
The family have been raising money already, but to help, I am asking for people to sponsor my jump and help get Eva treatment abroad. If you can spare anything at all, please donate as every single pound helps get them closer to travelling..
…and of course, wish me luck!!
Organizer
Paul Slapa
Organizer
