Fund-raiser for young Wigan girl's life-changing surgery hits £70k

Weeks of hard work by Hallie Campbell’s family, friends and even strangers have seen them collect enough money to send her for treatment in Poland.

She has a rare genetic disorder which means she cannot sit, walk or talk, but new gene therapy surgery, which is not available on the NHS, could end the painful seizures she endures every couple of days.

Her mum Lucy Campbell, from Hindley, thanked everyone who helped and said it had not yet sunk in that they had reached the fund-raising target.

She said: “I feel so pleased for Hallie. I can’t believe how kind, generous and supportive the general public has been. They will have made a massive change to Hallie’s life.”

Hallie’s supporters have been busy with many activities in recent weeks to boost the appeal, including packing bags in supermarkets, organising events and even climbing Snowdon with Hallie in her wheelchair.

They reached the target at the weekend thanks to £909 collected at a Halloween party on Friday and £2,146 at a race night at Haigh Hall Hotel on Saturday.

The race night included music by band Roost, a raffle and an auction for items including boxing gloves signed by Ricky Hatton.

“It was such a lovely night. Everyone enjoyed themselves,” Lucy said.

The family hopes to travel to Poland soon so Hallie can have the treatment, which they hope will make a big difference to her life.

She has aromatic amino acid decarboxylase deficiency (AADCd), a genetic disorder that causes severe developmental delays, weak muscle tone, involuntary movement of arms and legs and painful seizures.

It is so rare that only around 130 people worldwide have the condition, including five in the UK, with Hallie being the only female.

The new gene therapy surgery has made a difference to other patients, but is not available on the NHS as it would cost £1m per patient.

A medical centre in Poland has offered to treat Hallie at the subsidised price of £70,000.