A network to help diver walk again (From Northwich Guardian)
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A network to help diver walk again
2:00pm Saturday 2nd October 2010 in News
Gloria Ackerley is facing a swimming mission to help a diver walk again
A DELAMERE woman is hoping to make a ‘miracle come true’ and raise funds to help a 24-year-old to walk.
Gloria Ackerley, of Stoney Lane, is preparing to swim 100 lengths of Northwich swimming pool to allow Adrian Natarau, from Romania, to pay for an operation on his spinal chord.
Adrian has been left bedridden as a result of a diving accident four years ago and Gloria’s charity, Network Gloria, has already worked hard to provide him with an electric wheelchair and electric mattress to ease his bedsores.
The grandmother-of-four, aged 63, has a fundraising target of £5,000, which will be used to pay for Adrian and his mother’s flights to Delhi, India, where he hopes to have the operation.
She explained that the next step would be to wait for the surgeon’s verdict as to whether the procedure could go ahead.
Talking of Adrian, the former teacher at Greenbank School, who has visited Romania on a number of times, said: “This is possibly the most difficult case we have had.
“It is his last chance of walking and it is just something we would like to help with if we can but we cannot do it on our own.
“We have this opportunity now and without the help in finding the surgeons that are willing to consider his case he would have never known if he could walk again.
“My hope is that ideally we would like him to be able to sit in a wheelchair and be able to take a few steps. Through this appeal we stand a chance of getting him there.”
Residents of Adrian’s hometown of Zimnicea have already raised £5,000 towards the cause.
Gloria added: “By raising these funds, at least Adrian will know that every possibility has been done and there is no other way.
“There is always the chance of failure but that is better than no hope at all.”
All are welcome to watch Gloria attempt to swim 100 lengths on October 7, between 7.15am and 9.15am.
For further information, or to donate, visit networkgloria. org.uk or call 01829 752723.
