Norfolk rallies to help Ella-Grace

Ella-Grace Honeyman with her mum Laura

Generous Norfolk people are flocking to help a seriously ill two-year-old whose family face a race against time to raise funds for a life-saving brain operation.

Since the EDP highlighted the plight of little Ella-Grace Honeyman on Thursday, offers of cash have flooded in by phone and e-mail.

The tot's grateful family say they have been humbled by the response which virtually plugs a £12,000 funding gap to send the little girl for another specialist operation in America, where blood vessels in her brain will be sealed with sterile glue.

Her granddad, Ian Honeyman, said: "The people of Norfolk have raised £150,000 for Ella-Grace over the past couple of years. We are humbled and very, very grateful. It is a life-or-death situation and without that help she would probably not be here.

"After a story in the press we normally get a handful of calls. This time we had 100. The urgency of it brought a really fantastic response."

Ella-Grace, from Hevingham, near Aylsham, has a rare condition called vein of Galen malformation, suffered by just a few hundred babies across the world each year, involving tiny holes affecting the main blood vessels in the brain.

She was first diagnosed in June 2008 and has undergone three high-risk operations. Another was due in the summer of 2010, but her condition has deteriorated.

A spell in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and tests revealed that she has venous hypertension - too much pressure in her veins and a lack of drainage - as well as lesions on her brain.

She now needs a fourth operation on December 7 and is due to fly out the day before. The last one, by leading specialist Dr Alex Berenstein in New York, took eight hours and cost £45,000. The family have once again dipped into their pockets to find the cash, but were struggling to find a £12,000 shortfall.

Mum Laura yesterday said she had been staggered by the response, including one e-mail from a woman who had helped before and was offering another £1,000.

Dad Ryan will run the Norwich half marathon next weekend to raise funds for the appeal.

To donate to the fund, or sponsor Mr Honeyman, contact fundraising committee chairman Steve Read on 07949 871013 or 01603 722294, or see www.lifeforellagracefund.co.uk.