FERNAGH FAMILY'S APPEAL TO HELP LITTLE DAKOTA SEE
THE parents of a Fernagh child born with a rare condition that has made her blind are asking Newtownabbey Times readers to get behind their campaign to help their daughter see.
Little Dakota Clarke, 2, was born with called septo-optic dysplasia. She spent eight months of her first year in hospital with various illnesses relating to her condition.
For the past two months her parents Wilma and Darren, have been on a relentless fund-raising mission to get the 30,000 they need to take Dakota to China to receive a series of stem cell injections. The treatment has already helped an American child with the same condition gain partial sight.
"There's no support over here, and we looked on the internet and found groups in America," said Wilma.
Donations have been flooding in since fund-raising began. 25,000 is needed for treatment, plus a further 5,000 for flights, accommodation, and interpreter and emergency money.
The pair have managed to raise 6,300 in just two months with the help of local businesses and big-hearted volunteers.
Wilma took part in the 9-mile walk in the Belfast Marathon on Monday and also took part in a recent sponsored walk in Antrim.
"We are not ones for sitting back and doing nothing. Darren is even selling his car to raise more funds. We are pulling out all the stops to make it happen for Dakota," said the doting mum.
"We've given ourselves a year to meet our target and we have been sending out information packs to everyone we can think of," she added.
The couple have even tried to enlist the help of X Factor judge Simon Cowell, Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
Look out also for street collections for Dakota at this year's Ballyclare May Fair.
If you would like to donate money to help Dakota, you can do so to the following Ulster Bank account: sort code 98-02-80; account number 10023681.
You can also make a donation online at www.babydakota.org
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Weather for Newtownabbey
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
