Pictured above: (l-r) Garry Allen, account manager at
Orchid, Jaime Mighty, Sarah Fullaway from Oodles and Brett
Critchley, managing director at Orchid
Orchid IT, the Midlands' leading supplier of IT support and
services, has announced that it has adopted the Lewis Mighty Fund
as its fundraising appeal for the next 12 months.
Pride Park-based Orchid will be hosting a number of events over
the coming months to raise awareness and much needed funds for the
appeal, which is trying to raise £300,000 to send Lewis to
the US for life-saving medical treatment.
Lewis, 5 years old, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk
Neuroblastoma, a very rare form of cancer, which mainly targets
children under five. Lewis was only three years old when he was
diagnosed in October 2008. Most children who have this disease
don't display any symptoms until the disease is widespread. Sadly,
Neuroblastoma has only a 20% chance of being cured in Europe,
making it one of the most deadly of child cancers.
As the treatment is not available in Europe, Lewis's best chance
of survival is to visit the Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Clinic
in New York City, which will cost 350,000 USD.
Launched in June 2009, the fund has already raised more than
£155,000.
Garry Allen, account manager at Orchid, explains how he first
heard about Lewis and his appeal:
"As I used to work with Perry, Lewis's Dad, and also now have a
young child of my own, the appeal for Lewis really did hit a chord
with me when I watched 'The Secret Millionaire'. As soon as I got
into work the following day,I asked James if Orchid would be keen
to help. Of course, James and Brett both agreed immediately as the
company has a strong history of helping local charities, especially
when it comes to children."
Financial director, James Twigg, added:
"Orchid's aim is to exploit our profile and reach out to our
extensive client base and affiliated businesses in the hope that
they will donate whatever they can to help Lewis.
"We will also be raising funds internally and we recently held a
dress down day in the office. We will also be holding a variety of
activities throughout the coming months and are working in
conjunction with Oodles, an ethical life insurance provider, for
other joint ventures."
Jaime Mighty, Lewis' mum, said: "We are delighted to have
Orchid's support for the fund. We are appreciative of the many
dedicated supporters on our Facebook pages, and adding such a high
profile and well-known business as Orchid is going to help propel
the campaign to another level."
For more information on Orchid IT please visit their website
here: www.orchidit.com