Vanessa Riddle is an 11 year old girl who was getting treatment in hospital at the same time as my 5 year old son. He has made a full recovery and I wanted to do something to help Vanessa, so I am entering the Great North Swim on 23 June 2012 (http://www.greatswim.org/). Here is her story:

Vanessa, who had beaten the cancer once, relapsed in December 2011 and was given a less than 10% chance of survival. As there was no relapse protocol for her available in the UK, her parents, Chris and Connie Riddle immediately launched a fundraising appeal with the Neuroblastoma Alliance UK to raise the funds needed to send Vanessa for treatment abroad. They knew this treatment would not be funded by the NHS.

Following further tests and consultations, Vanessa has been found to be a good candidate for a treatment in Germany, a Haploidentical Stem Cell transplant which has shown very promising results. Vanessa hopes to start her treatment in Germany in June 2012; the treatment will take nine months and will dramatically increase her chances of long-term survival.

All the funds raised to date for the Vanessa Riddle Appeal will be used to cover the Haploidentical Stem Cell transplant treatment and associated costs. Any money left over will be kept for Vanessa in case she needs more help in the future.

Vanessa’s Dad, Chris, said, "Words simply cannot express how grateful we are to the kind hearted people who have helped us get to where we are today. From facing a very uncertain future with such a desperately poor prognosis, we are now able to look to the future with optimism.

Everyone who donated to Vanessa’s Appeal has given us so much more than the money that now makes our daughter’s treatment in Germany a reality. You have given us hope. And for this we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Keep in touch with Vanessa and her journey at

http://vanessasjourney.com/

http://www.facebook.com/vanessasjourney

https://twitter.com/#!/vanessariddle

More information on Great North Swim can be found at: http://www.greatswim.org/

Find out more about the Neuroblastoma Alliance UK at http://www.childrenscancer.org.uk/our-appeals/

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