Sweet-toothed sister gives up treats for charity which supported her brother
“We are so very proud of Lily. She came up with the idea and has totally rolled with it. She is doing so incredibly well and her resolve to stick to it has been very impressive”
A devoted sister has given up treats to raise money for a charity which supported her baby brother after he suffered a stroke at birth.
Lily Burton wanted to raise money for Northampton-based breathing charity Nara after it helped her brother Henry by providing medical equipment, support and care.
Lily, age 12, said: “The day after my brother was born he stopped breathing. It turned out he had had a stroke at birth.
“He was put into a coma and spent a few days in intensive care on a breathing machine. Everyone was very worried about him and what life would hold.
“When he came out of hospital my parents were worried that he would stop breathing again, but Nara came to the rescue and lent Henry a breathing monitor until he was six-months-old.”
Now, Henry is aged 10 and happy and healthy, but Lily still remembers the support provided by the charity.
To show thanks and raise money, she has given up chocolate, sweets and cake for the past four months, with the challenge ending just in time for Halloween.
So far she has raised more than £1,200.
Lily added: “I wanted to help raise money for Nara as a thanks for what they did for us. I am giving up cake, sweets and chocolate and it is absolute torture!
“I would love to raise enough money to buy a breathing monitor and probe like Henry used.”
Mum Julie said her daughter is finding the challenge difficult, but refuses to cave into grabbing a chocolate bar.
She said: “Lily has a really sweet tooth so she has found it really hard! She has had a countdown chart from a couple of weeks in, but it seems to have got harder rather than easier!
“She has got her own drawer that is growing with banned items that she is squirrelling away to gorge on when she has finished!”
Julie says Lily and her brother are very close, but Henry’s answer was a firm no when Lily asked if he was going to join her in taking on the fundraiser. Instead, he says he may take on a physical challenge in future.
Julie added: “We are so very proud of Lily. She came up with the idea and has totally rolled with it. She is doing so incredibly well and her resolve to stick to it has been very impressive.
“She is a stickler for the rules so has not caved. Not many could do it, that is for sure!”
Visit www.gofundme.com/f/lily-is-funding-raising-for-nara-please-donate to donate.