Anonymous Donor Pledges £300,000 to Fight Deadly Brain Disease

A charity that supports children with deadly brain disease has been left stunned after receiving an anonymous donation of £300,000 to help fund clinical trials. The money was pledged through an online crowd-funding page set up by Glasgow-based Funding Neuro to raise £900,000 to support treatment for 18 children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) brain tumours. This significant donation has left the charity "blown away" and has brought them closer to their fundraising goal, with over £600,000 already raised for the trials.

Key Takeaways:

• The anonymous donor has pledged £300,000 to support clinical trials for children with DIPG brain tumours through the charity Funding Neuro.
• The charity aims to raise £900,000 to support treatment for 18 children with DIPG brain tumours.
• Funding Neuro's chief executive, Sharon Kane, stated that the donation is the largest single amount the charity has ever received and was made with the condition that it remain anonymous.
• DIPG is a rare and aggressive brain cancer that affects around 30 to 40 children in the UK each year, with few treatment options available.
• Two young boys treated by Professor Steven Gill using a robotic treatment have shown significant improvement, with increased life expectancy and improved quality of life.
• The charity is working on ground-breaking work with neurosurgeon Professor Steven Gill to treat brain tumours using a robotic treatment.

Statistics:

• £300,000: Anonymous donation pledged to support clinical trials for children with DIPG brain tumours.
• £900,000: Amount needed to support treatment for 18 children with DIPG brain tumours.
• £600,000: Amount already raised for the trials through crowd-funding.
• 18: Number of children with DIPG brain tumours this charity aims to support through treatment.
• 2: Number of children treated by Professor Steven Gill using a robotic treatment who have shown significant improvement.

Sources:

• Paul Ward, Press Association Scotland
• Funding Neuro
• Professor Steven Gill