Hastings United to support family’s wish for a ‘Christmas to remember’

Hastings United will be fundraising for a 20-year-old woman with numerous health problems to make her Christmas wish come true.
Lori PethigLori Pethig
Lori Pethig

Lori Pethig, 20, was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a genetic condition which causes tumours to grow along nerves, at the age of ten after she lost her sight.

After a particularly tough year, Lori’s sister Eleanor decided to set up a fundraising page to ensure she has a special Christmas, in what appears increasingly-likely to be her last.

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At Friday’s Hastings United game against Herne Bay, £1 from every ticket will be donated to Lori and her family.

The club is also asking for voluntary contributions on bar purchases to ensure Lori has a ‘Christmas to remember’.

In the years following Lori’s diagnosis, the former Helenswood student spent extended periods in hospital as the NF2 progressed.

Lori, who later studied history at William Parker, is now registered blind, is partially deaf and paralysed down the right side of her face.

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In June, she went to King’s College to have a craniotomy which resulted in heart failure and the discovery of a bleed on the brain.

Another bleed on the brain caused her to have a stroke, leaving her in King’s College for eight weeks, with another three weeks in a stroke unit.

She returned home but, due to her serious health problems, she went into a hospice for symptom control, where she developed sepsis.

Setting up the fundraiser, her sister Eleanor, 18, said: “We are a big family – I am one of ten siblings – but it hasn’t been a great year.

“It would mean literally so much to us if we could raise some money and make her Christmas.”

If you would like to donate to the fundraiser, visit www.gofundme.com/f/my-sister-lori.

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