Mercy mission mystery donor
4/30/2008 - by Joanne Crozier
THE mercy mission to fund surgery to help little Megan Traynor see for the first time has been bolstered by a substantial donation from a mystery Crossgar benefactor.
The generous father-of-three got in touch with the Traynor family telling them that their story of battling to give the five-year-old sight really struck a chord with him and he promptly passed over a cheque for almost £2,000.
This amazing act of generosity has astonished Megan’s dad, Stuart, who has witnessed a mass outpouring of support ever since their fund-raising mission reached the receptive ears of the public.
“We have raised around £9,000 in just one week and this is just from donations. It is incredible and has taken us all by surprise,” he said.
The Traynors lived in Downpatrick until a month ago when they moved to Belfast to avoid the early morning commute to Megan’s primary school for the blind and visually impaired in Jordanstown.
The brave little girl has had a condition called Septo-optic Dysplasia from birth and this could be eased by pioneering surgery which uses stem cells from her unborn sister’s umbilical cord to help her see.
But Stuart (27) and his pregnant wife Leanne (24) first have to raise £30,000 to pay for the surgery, which will be carried out in China.
The complex operation is in its pilot stage and has been carried out on six young children already to great success and this fills the family with hope.
“The six people all experienced a return in sight and we have been told that the sooner the surgery is carried out, the better, so we are aiming to bring Megan over within six months to a year,” Queen’s University law student Stuart said.
The gift of sight would mean so much to the whole family said retail manager Leanne, who is originally from Ardglass.
“Megan has never seen my face. She doesn’t know what her mummy looks like. It would mean so much if Megan could see, even a little bit.
“When she walks around the house, she bumps into things and hurts herself. It’s hard to watch. But she’s a really brave girl and she has a very warm heart. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her.”
Much-loved Megan not only has the disability of blindness to contend with, she has epilepsy, diabetes insipidus and an underactive thyroid which means she takes a cocktail of heavy mediation everyday to bring her conditions under control.
Her mum Leanne is expecting a child in June and her parents have told Megan all about the new arrival who could hold the key to unlocking her world of shadows.
“We can’t show Megan scan photos or anything so we thought we would find out the sex of the child so we can prepare her for the new baby,” Stuart said.
“She is too young to fully under-stand about the operation, but we have been telling her bits and pieces. She now rubs Leanne’s tummy and says, ‘Baby Hannah is going to help me see.’”
Megan is a bright, upbeat young girl who is an inspiration to her family.
“Words really can’t describe her. She is full of energy and life. Just a wee angel really, we all dote on her,” said her proud auntie, Laura Traynor
A number of fund-raising events will be held in the family’s Downpatrick hometown in the coming months with the Convent of Mercy Primary School - where her granny Roisin works - donating the proceeds of their non-uniform day to the worthy appeal.
A golf classic and fund-raising Ball are also in the offing and Stuart and Leanne would like to thank all those who have generously donated so far. An account has been set up for donations in Megan’s name in the Halifax (beside Tony Rodin’s in Downpatrick), the account number is 00789720 and sort code 11-09-76. To get in touch with Stuart or Leanne call 07739107179 or email megantraynor2000@yahoo.co.uk or stuarttraynor2000@yahoo.co.uk