Olly Murs makes Lucy’s day!
News release and photo for immediate use
Tuesday 28 August 2012
16 year old Lucy McCloy, from Edinburgh, had her wish granted last month when she met her idol, Olly Murs, thanks to Make--A-Wish Foundation® UK – the charity that grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions.
Lucy, who was diagnosed with Pilocytic Astrocytoma (a brain tumour) when she was just two, saw Olly perform earlier this year but she hardly remembers the experience due to her memory being significantly affected by the tumour, so it came as no surprise that her one wish was to meet her idol and watch him perform. On the day of her wish Lucy was treated to a make-over before heading to Edinburgh Castle for the concert. Lucy said that the best moment was when Olly agreed to marry her!
After being diagnosed with a brain tumour Lucy was given an MRI scan every six months to monitor the lump. In 2007, when Lucy was 11, one of the scans showed that the lump had grown. She had been getting migraines so she was given an operation to burst the cysts around the tumour. A year and a half later Lucy was still getting headaches so she was put on a course of radiotherapy. In October 2011 she had chemotherapy, which caused her to lose her hair and subsequently some of her confidence, before having the tumour removed in February this year. Lucy’s condition has severely affected her eyesight and her short-term memory became very poor. Lucy’s Mum, Marie, explained how it’s been very hard for Lucy because she has virtually no memories from some of her teenage years.
Marie said: “It was wonderful that Lucy was able to rebuild some of the memories she created before her surgery because they have now almost been erased. The day was perfect, we could easily get used to living life like that!”
There are currently 20,000 children and young people in the UK fighting a life-threatening condition and this year alone 1,400 children will turn to Make-A-Wish to have their wish granted. The charity needs to raise £6.8 million in 2012 and receives no government funding or lottery grants – so every donation really does count.
To make a donation to Make-A-Wish please visit www.make-a-wish.org.uk or telephone 01276 40 50 60.
~ ends ~
For more information about this news release please contact:
Hayley Epps: T: 01276 405093 M: 07557563214 E: hayley.epps@makeawish.org.uk
Notes to editors:
1. More photos available if required and the family are available for interview.
2. Please note that Make-A-Wish does not use phrases such as ‘terminally ill’ in order to respect the sensitive nature of life-threatening conditions and what they mean to children and young people and their families. We would ask that this approach is followed and that the term ‘life-threatening conditions’ is used in material for publication.
3. Make-A-Wish should be referred to as Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK in the first instance. Thereafter ‘Make-A-Wish’ or ‘Make-A-Wish Foundation’ is suitable. We would ask that you try to keep ‘Make-A-Wish’ on the same line.
4. Make-A-Wish grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions. The charity was founded in the UK in 1986. Registered charity number: 295672/SC037479 www.make-a-wish.org.uk.
Tags:
