A teenager forgot her pain and danced in her wheelchair on the happiest night of her life.<\/p>\n
More than 400 people gave their time, their money and their friendship to lift the spirits of 17-year-old Kirsten Edwards to stage a rock night which has probably raised more than \u00a32,500.<\/p>\n
The money raised by Ron Adams, Kirsty Tapley and Audra West, who are\u00a0 colleagues of Kirsten\u2019s mother, Julie Longmuir, at the Pendine Park organisation in Wrexham.<\/p>\n
The proceeds will be split between purchasing a made-to-measure lightweight wheelchair for Kirsten and a tea dance and entertainment afternoon which staff want to organise this spring for dementia sufferers.<\/p>\n
Kirsten, 17, of Llanerfyl, near Welshpool, has Wegener’s Granulomatosis, a rare form of vasculitis, which attacks her own organs.<\/p>\n
She has spent the last five years in pain and has only 50% kidney function, holes in her lungs, She is also deaf because the disease has destroyed the bones in her ears and attacked the bones in her nose. Swollen joints make it painful to walk.<\/p>\n
Her single mum Julie, 48, a lead trainer and NVQ assessor at the Smartcare Teaching Care Centre, which is part of the Pendine Park organisation, says the wheelchair will give Kirsten independence since she often needs her mum to push her basic wheelchair.<\/p>\n
Ron Adams, who works as a support worker at Pendine Park\u2019s Independent Living Organisation, was moved when he heard of Kirsten\u2019s problem and decided to organise a rock night fund raiser.<\/p>\n
As a member of the AC\/DC cover band The Swillers he enlisted the support of other local bands Marblehead Johnson, Blind Justice, Thunder Pig and Revolver, to give their time free for a gig at Brymbo Cricket Club.<\/p>\n
Julie said: \u201cIt was absolutely wonderful I have never seen Kirsten so happy. It was the happiest she has been since before this disease struck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know beforehand whether she would be OK or how she would react, but she was just so happy. It was brilliant, she was dancing in her wheelchair.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a lovely evening, a really, really good night, I can\u2019t begin to thank those who gave us such support.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten was not really well a day or so before, she was quite ill and could not walk even from the bedroom to the kitchen and I thought \u2018Oh no she\u2019s not going to manage it\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was also worried about her hearing aid with the noise from the bands but she told me not to worry because the hearing aid has a protect button and when the bands go louder it doesn\u2019t mean it gets louder in her ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was so friendly towards her. Ron\u2019s daughter Georgina who sings in one of the bands (Revolver) was dancing with Kirsten in her wheelchair and they swapped telephone numbers, it really lifted her spirits and really made a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor everyone to give their time like that for nothing, I don\u2019t know where to start thanking everyone, they just worked so hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cRon was amazing, he\u2019s got just such the biggest heart. And he wore his kilt (Julie and Kirsten are Scottish), with a leather waistcoat and boots \u2013 I couldn\u2019t believe it!<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how but I just want to thank people from the bottom of my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assistant manager at Pendine Park\u2019s Independent Living Organisation, Kirsty Tapley, along with manager Audra West, organised much of the event and secured a mass of raffle gifts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the happiest Kirsten has been for a long time,\u201d said Kirsty. \u201cIt\u2019s too early to say exactly how much was raised but we think it could be in the region of \u00a32,500 which will be split between Kirsten and the rest will be for a tea dance we want to organise in the spring for local people who have been diagnosed with dementia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe publicity has also brought other things to light. We had a lady from Mold contact us and she suffers with the same rare disease so Julie is going to contact her to see if that might be of some support for Kirsten.<\/p>\n
Also a couple from Welshpool contacted us and they want to do some fund-raising. It was an absolutely brilliant night.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the star of the show \u201crocking\u201d Ron said: \u201cIt was a superb show and everything went fantastically well. My daughter had a dance with Kirsten, I think everyone had a dance with Kirsten! I said I would wear a kilt for the photos and I did.\u201d<\/p>\n