Friday 10 June 2011

Alice Pyne goes global and the world shows it's heart.

Two days ago I posted on here about a 15 year old girl called Alice Pyne. Alice has terminal cancer and had set up a blog, as she says 'for a few friends and family'. She wanted to try and sort out a few experiences in her life before her time, sadly too short a time, ran out.


click the photo to go to Alice's blog!!


Since I posted about her it would seem that many other people have been touched by her story too. Little by little - well, actually pretty darn quickly -  the word has spread until, as I write, Alice has gone global as they say!! Not only does her blog have over 10,000 followers, but she was mentioned at Prime Minister's Question Time. She has trended on Twitter and she has been avalanched by offers to fulfil her wishes.

Please don't forget either that her wishes are not for money or fame, but for simple heartbreakingly touching things like to stay in a caravan for a night, have a back massage, have a photo shoot with her dog, go to Cadbury World ...

And the thrilling thing is that these things are happening for her. She asked to meet Take That and this weekend she is off to see their show and meet them - brilliant!

She is keen, on her blog, to emphasise that she does not want money and that she knows there are other children who are ill just like her. She has set up a link so people can spread their kindness to other ill children.

Another of her wishes was that people sign up for the bone marrow register and apparently many many people have. People have also been sponsoring her sister who is running in their local Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Relief - so far people have donated £10,000. Amazing.

Throughout all this there is a sense of joy that we can help a little girl who does not have long to live, but who has a simplicity that has touched us all. That joy is tinged with sorrow in the knowledge that she is so ill. The internet is blamed for all sorts of things, but on this occasion it has shown its invaluable usefulness. Could the news have spread so quickly without it?

I was so touched by the people who reposted or retweeted what I and other people had written about Alice and it was through the invisible links of friendship that the story grew. Its quite lovely that one 15 year old girl can touch so many hearts and in turn those hearts reach out to touch hers.

1 comment:

E. M. Prokop said...

This is wonderful Sarah! I'm so glad that these things are happening for Alice and for other very ill children..you're right though, it is tinged with sadness...I'm so happy that she's going to be able to meet her idols! That's awesome!