Local businesses come together to back Eden’s fight against cancer

Four Huddersfield-based businesspeople have come together to support Eden Smith, the six-year-old girl with an incredibly rare form of cancer that just 100 children are diagnosed with per year.

The group includes Gavin Pearson, founder of Vita C; Sandro Bevilacqua, owner of Da Sandro Restaurant; Craig Waddington, owner of Easy Bathrooms and Steve Laidlaw, owner of Distinctive Chesterfields. They have each made generous donations of £500-£1,000 to Eden’s fundraiser.

Eden, from Scholes, has neuroblastoma. She is currently undergoing high-dose chemotherapy, which will be followed by radiotherapy and then immunotherapy. Upon diagnosis, she had a 40-50% chance of survival. However, she is responding well to treatment.

Gavin said: “When Eden makes it through the treatment and gets the all-clear, there is however, a 60% chance of a relapse. If this happened, Eden would then have just a 15% chance of survival. 

“The good news is that her family is raising funds to send her to New York for treatment, which would not only reduce the chances of a relapse, but it would also improve her ability to then fight off a relapse. So far, the trials – which have been ongoing since 2017 – indicate a 91% survival rate. This treatment will be literally life-changing for Eden and her family. Lots of people are doing amazing things to support them.”

The Bivalent Vaccine treatment was created by the parent of a child who had neuroblastoma. So far, no other clinic in the world has the rights to the treatment, which is why it is only available in New York. Like any other type of vaccine, it trains the body to fight disease. 

Eden’s treatment in the UK will finish in approximately July, meaning there are four months left to reach the £310,000 target needed. It is currently on £280,000. The treatment would ordinarily cost £700,000 but Solving Kids Cancer is funding the remaining part, giving it £30,000 left to raise.

Gavin continued: “This is a reachable goal, but time is of the essence, so anything that people can do to help would be amazing.

What can you do?

• Local corporate donations – The goal is to raise £10,000 from corporate donations. We are asking local businesses to please consider a donation to Eden’s cause.
• General public donations – anything you can donate, be it £2, £20 or £200, it really will make a difference. If 6,000 people donated £5 today, the £30,000 remaining would be raised.
• Workplace fundraisers – Can you challenge your team to do a walk? A skydive? 

“Let’s get behind Eden and take away the financial uncertainty from her incredible family, who have done an amazing job so far. Eden deserves it, and so do they.”