Today, ten members of the Leicester Lioness Club walked the Golden Mile in Leicester to raise money for Neil Burton.
Neil was a healthy father of three young children, until he fell ill in 2009 with two rare conditions which attacked his immune system, Transverse Myelitis and Guillain Barre Syndrome. Neil has been left paralysed and requires a ventilator to enable him to breathe. Despite his condition and the fact that he has 24 hour care, he continues to work using speech recognition software and provide for his family. Neil has spent months researching Stem Cell treatment and has found a specialist who has agreed to treat him.
The 1.5 mile fundraising walk began at 2pm from the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Belgrave Road, up to the Indigo Restaurant at the top of Melton Road, where the Lionesses were greeted by Jagdishbhai Ghelani, owner of Indigo restaurant, who had supported the cause by hosting a complimentary dinner for the Lionesses.
The Lionesses were joined by Neil’s brother, John and sister in law, who walked alongside them to show their support. With tremendous support from the shops on Belgrave Road, who donated generously, the Lionesses managed to raise over £1,000.
The money raised will contribute to the fundraising campaign already kicked off by the Burton family in March 2013. After holding several fundraising events, they have so far raised £19,000 of their £25,000 target to fund Neil’s Stem Cell Treatment. You can read more about Neil at www.neilsstory.co.uk
The Leicester Lioness Club aims to support and raise funding for charities and play an active part in the local community. If you are interested in becoming a Leicester Lioness, email leicesterlionesses@hotmail.co.uk to find out how you can get involved.
By: Aarti C Thobhani
