I am very sad to have to update this page with the news that despite a long, difficult battle, Oliver lost his fight with Leukodystrophy in October. He fought bravely, aware that his condition was deteriorating and incurable.  In the end, he was forced to communicate by blinking alone, but his heart was so filled with love for his family and friends that it shone out clearly through those expressive, icy blue eyes. 

He was  an engaging young man, lovable, humorous and well known for evoking feelings of affection from his peers, younger nieces and nephews - who he, without fail, would find time to play with - and others who would often also feel protective in a parental way towards him. For these reasons and more, his loss is a very sad one.

I am overwhelmed by peoples generosity, never expecting to raise such a large amount, and it is a great comfort to know that something positive will result from this, since your kind donations will go directly towards funding research into Leukodystrophy.

A very brave decision was made to donate brain and other tissues to Addenbrookes hospital to aid in this research. It is such a rare disease that the opportunity to study patients is invaluable, and the donation was gratefully acknowledged by Professor Peter Collins from the research laboratory as of 'major importance to the success of research work'.

I want to say thank you to everyone for helping with the search for a cure and believe that one day no one will have to suffer as Ollie did and loved ones will not have to stand by helpless. 

All money raised will go directly to a charity which specialises in research into treatments, therapies and the search for a cure for demyelinating diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Leukodystrophies. Any breakthrough with repairing the myelin that is damaged by these illneses will potentially provide treatment.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.