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Manukau Courier : January 30th 2015
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Friday, January 30, 2015 The amountof supportand people who have gotten behindus has been ❝ unbelievable Destiny’smum Marlene Getting closer: Six-year-old Destiny is already planning what she will do when she’s able to walk without needing support. Photo: SHILO KINO By SHILO KINO A LITTLE girl’s dream of kicking a ball around with her friends is just a few thousand dollars away from becoming a reality. Last July the Manukau Courier featured a story about Destiny who was born with cerebral palsy and cannot walk independently. Her family is raising money so the 6-year-old can undergo selective dorsal rhizotomy, a surgical procedure available only in the United States. The operation will cost $100,000 and will help Destiny walk without needing support. When the Manukau Cour- ier went to print yesterday, the family had raised close to $95,000 over seven months through garage sales, cake sales, fundraising nights, a hypnotist show, raffles and donations. ‘‘The amount of support and people who have gotten behind us has been unbelievable,’’ Destiny’s mum Marlene says. ‘‘It’s so much money and I’m absolutely blown away. When we first got offered the surgery I didn’t think we would be able to raise the full amount.’’ The mother-of-eight has six weeks to raise the remainder before the operation date in April. ‘‘Every cent is closer to our dream,’’ she says. Marlene, who has been fostering children for 15 years, adopted Destiny when she was a newborn. The little girl’s early arrival was linked to domestic violence and she wasn’t expected to live beyond her first year. ‘‘Our dream for Destiny is for her to be an average Joe,’’ Marlene says. ‘‘She might never run a marathon but to be able to open a door, walk into a classroom, play in a playground and when she’s older walk into a bank to do her banking would be amazing.’’ The past seven months have been far from easy but it was an ‘‘amazing opportunity worth fighting for’’, Marlene says. ‘‘It’s been seven months of staying up to the early hours of the morning, emailing, organising events and trying to get donations. ‘‘We’ve learnt compassion, gratitude, we learnt that there are amazing people out there who don’t have much themselves but are willing to help. The majority of people who have got behind us are South Aucklanders which is huge.’’ Marlene believes it is Des- tiny’s personality that has attracted generous donations from all over the world. ‘‘People we have never met just hear Destiny’s story and want to help her dream come true. She just keeps fighting and beating the odds and now it’s our turn to fight for her.’’ The hard work won’t stop with the operation. Destiny will need to undergo intensive therapy that will cost an extra $25,000. She could be walking within 18 months depending on how well she responds to the surgery and therapy, Marlene says. Destiny says she’s ‘‘happy’’ and ‘‘excited’’ and is already planning what she wants to do when she can walk. ‘‘I want to kick a ball, dance, sing, play on the playground and walk on the back field with my friends.’’ She says she likes feeling like ‘‘a movie star’’ with all the attention from the public and has a message for those who have donated so far: ‘‘Thank you everybody.’’ ❚ A quiz night will be held on February28at7pm at the PACT hall, 311 Great South Rd, Papatoetoe. Go to givealittle.co.nz/cause/ destinysdesiretowalk to donate and Facebook page Destinys-Desire-to-Walk to follow her journey. Bookworms Kids keep learning through the holidays –P6 Fare point Should the cost of riding the bus come down? –P3 TODAY All drama Hindu hero’s tale hits the stage –P4 Gotta love ‘em Cats need good homes too –P5 Tickets on sale now at cricketworldcup.com ADULTS FROM $20, CHILDREN FROM $5* Coming to New Zealand & Australia 14 February - 29 March 2015 #cwc15 *Ticket Terms and Conditions, Purchase Conditions and Transaction Fees Apply ICC0013
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