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Gazette's Send Elliott to Oz appeal off to a flying start

An appeal launched by the Shields Gazette just two weeks ago has raised £5,000 to help send a young boy to Australia to undergo a vital brain operation.

Eight-year-old Elliott Lamb was diagnosed four years ago as having gelastic epilepsy, an extremely rare condition which causes him to suffer between seven and 10 epileptic fits a day.

In the hope of giving their son the best chance of living a normal life, Elliott’s parents, Steve and Jackie, have decided to take their son to Australia to undergo revolutionary new surgery to remove the benign tumour causing his condition, from deep inside his brain.

The Gazette’s Send Elliott To Oz appeal aims to raise £25,000 for Elliott to pay for the four-hour surgery and the cost of the trip.

Since the appeal’s launch, generous readers and local businesses have pledged money, and are organising various fundraising events such as a karaoke night, and a sponsored fun run.

Local firefighters also raised more than £2,000 for the appeal, when after every performance of the play Naked Flame, which they staged at The Customs House in South Shields, they passed round a collection bucket to generous theatre-goers.

Elliot’s dad Steve, station officer at Hebburn Fire Station, said: “With the epilepsy, Elliott could end up disabled and in a wheelchair for life.

“The problem is that he has no concept of harm or danger and he is at constant risk.

“I know surgery has its risks, but we want to give him a chance of a normal future and we feel it is the right decision.”

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