ALANNAH AND KIRSTEN AT CHARITY LAUNCH
TWO young cancer patients, one from Dromore, the other Dromara, recently had the chance to meet children's TV 'star' Peppa Pig, as Belfast's Grand Opera House named the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children as its official nominated charity.
Kirsten Brown (4) from Hawthorn Walk, Dromore and Alannah Donnelly (7) from Dromara met Peppa after her party at the official launch of the Grand Opera House's charity partnership with NICFC.
Over the next 12 months the Grand Opera House will work to raise - among staff and patrons alike - awareness of the services and support provided by the charity, stocking its literature, promoting events and selingl its merchandise, while staff will hold their own fundraising events.
Senior and Corporate Fundraiser, Joanne Steele, said, "Every week in Northern Ireland three more families are told their child has cancer; their life changes immediately and forever.
The Browns and the Donnellys are two such families.
Little Kirsten, a pupil at Dromore Nursery School, was just 18 months-old when she was diagnoased with ependymoma, a rare kind of brain tumour, and a little over a year ago, after a combination of surgical and drug treatments thought to have stopped the cancer, it began to grow again and has since been declared inoperable.
So began an ongoing, international search for hope of further surgery or experiemental drug treatments.
Dromara Primary School pupil Alannah, whose sister Leah (3) also had the chance to meet Peppa, was diagnosed with ALL leukaemia in September 2009 and returned to class just last Wednesday following a year of intensive chemotherapy.
Alannah's daily treatment continues and her family hope a scan next year will give her the all-clear (SEE FULL STORY ON PAGE 13).
Speaking at the recent charity launch, Grand Opera House Chief Executive, Michael Ockwell, said, "On behalf of all the staff at the Grand Opera House, we are delighted to have selected Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children as our nominated charity."
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Weather for Dromore
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
