Fundraiser organised for six-year-old cancer sufferer Joseph Lillywhite

Joseph Lillywhite

A fundraiser has been organised in Rochdale to help six-year-old Joseph Lillywhite who is currently fighting cancer.

Joseph was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma last year - an aggressive childhood cancer and is currently receiving treatment at Leeds General Infirmary.

Family friend Joanne Partington, from Heywood, has organised a charity event for Joseph to help raise money to send him abroad for further treatment if necessary.

Joanne said: “Joseph is doing well at the minute but there is a chance that the cancer could come back one day. If that happens there is an option of sending him to Germany or America for treatment and that is what the money raised would go towards. Obviously, if that is not the case and he doesn’t need to go down that route, the money will be donated to charity.”

Joseph’s family hope to raise £500,000 through a variety of fundraising events and have already successfully raised over £200,000.

Joanne added: “I wish we could raise that all in one night but I don’t think we could. Joseph’s mum Helen has been handling things at her end and we have decided to do things here to raise the profile a bit more. Altogether we currently have around £230,000 raised.”

The event Joanne has planned will be a general fundraising night and will include an auction, a raffle and live music and will be held at the Ratcliffe Suite at Rochdale Football Club on Saturday 15 November.

“I think it is about raising awareness of the cancer as well because none of us had heard of it before Joseph got diagnosed and it is a horrible illness,” said Joanne.

Neuroblastoma is a cancer of the sympathetic nervous system with tumours more often than not occurring in the adrenal glands or abdomen. It is understood that the disease causes 15% of childhood cancer deaths and two children are diagnosed with the illness every week in the UK.

Speaking about Joseph, Joanne said: “He is great. He is a typical six-year-old boy. He loves Lego, Spiderman and funnily enough Jamie Oliver. He is in and out of hospital but he is doing ok at the minute.”

Joanne has also received a lot of support from local businesses who have offered raffle and auction prizes for the event.

She said: “The support has been more than I could have asked for. People have been really generous and we have received some great prizes from people.”

For further information about the event and to purchase tickets, visit:

https://m.facebook.com/jlillywhitecharityauction