Preston Grasshoppers RFC is proud to be a community club which will always support members and families in any way possible.
When NCA rep and club historian Mike Forshaw and his wife Catherine told us about his grandson Dean Puplett, who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Stage 4 High Risk when he was three and a half, we knew straight away that we had to help. Please read the letter below from Dean which details what happened in the months and years that followed.
”Hello, I’m Dean. You may not know me, but you might of heard about me through my Grandma and Grandad Catherine and Mike Forshaw. I was born in 2006 and when I was 3 ½ I was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Stage 4 High Risk, Cancer. I am much better now and turned six on the first of October 2012, but there was a time my Mummy and Daddy had to tell my Grandma and Grandad I might not be having any more Birthdays.
I have a big sister Eve who has helped me through treatment. I love her very much and think that she has been very brave. When I was diagnosed my family were told I had a very aggressive and relatively rare cancer, which affects around 100 children a year in the UK. I was given a 20% chance of survival at diagnosis. When I went for my first cycle of chemotherapy a week later, the doctors told my Mummy and Daddy that they had found the Cancer had spread further than they first thought and my prognosis became very grim. Since that day I have met everything head on and defied the odds set against me. During 14 months of treatment, I have had lots of intense chemotherapy (I had 8 hours of chemotherapy on my 4th Birthday), a six hour operation to remove the primary tumor from my adrenal gland, stem cell harvest and transplant where I worried my parents and the doctors by contracting a life threatening liver disease. Radiotherapy and immunotherapy followed as well as countless blood and platelet transfusions, alongside numerous biopsies, scans and tests. During my treatment there have been very dangerous times and on a couple of occasions my Mummy and Daddy have had to say goodbye to me as they were told there was no guarantee on my survival. I have struggled to walk due to some of the chemotherapy drugs, which also permanently damaged some of my hearing. I couldn’t eat during nine months of my treatment and I had to have a feeding tube.
Since treatment has finished I have learned to eat again. I love to go to school and run around with my friends. I love swimming, gymnastics and judo and also go to Mold Rugby Club where I play with the Minis. I have been Cancer free since June 2011 and go to Alder Hey for regular check ups. Unfortunately there is an 80% chance that my Cancer might come back and if it does there is no curative treatment available in the UK. Therefore I need your help. I need help to raise £500,000….yes Half A Million Pounds. This would allow my Mummy and Daddy to take me overseas for treatment. This treatment, unfortunately, isn’t on offer in the UK.
If I stay well or for another reason do not use the money raised, all monies are held by Families Against Neuroblastoma Registered Charity Number 1135974 In the event that they are not used by me they will always be used for someone with Neuroblastoma. Families Against Neuroblastoma is a registered charity that helps families like ours raise the huge sums needed, but rely heavily on the generosity and support of the general public. Together we hope that with your help we will raise the funds in good time so I can have a second chance should I need it.
Here is my justgiving page http://www.justgiving.com/DeanPuplettAppeal
You can also donate by text message by texting DEAN93 and your amount £1 – £10 to 70070
You can also make a donation by sending a cheque to FAN Dean Puplett Appeal, Beach Terrace Rd, Hunstanton, Norfolk, PE36 5BQ, at any branch of Natwest Bank using the following information: FAN Dean Puplett Appeal Account number 89534727 Sort Code 55 – 81 – 28
Please come and follow me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheDeanPuplettAppealHelpMeBeatNeuroblastomaCancer?ref=hl
Or on Twitter @DeanPAppeal’‘
All Dean wants is the chance to grow up like everyone else. With your help this dream could be a possibility. Thank you in advance for your support, from Jane and Tony, Dean’s Mum and Dad.
Update
Dean’s family would like to thank all those who have so far help raise £141.76 by purchasing wristbands and popping their loose change into the collection pots on the bar. This doesn’t include the very generous donations made by Hoppers members on Dean’s ‘Just Giving’ page or the on going efforts from Hoppers Mini Junior section and other members.
If anyone else would like to make a donation or buy wristbands, please speak to Mike or Catherine Forshaw or you can use the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheDeanPuplettAppealHelpMeBeatNeuroblastomaCancer/info
