Friends Rally Round to Help Fulfil Ollie's Wishes


Fundraiser set up to help teenager's parents after cancer diagnosis

Ollie has diagnosed after a short illness
Ollie has diagnosed after a short illness

March 27, 2023

A crowdfunding campaign has been set up for two parents, originally from the W12 area, whose son has a serious illness.

Lisa Kelly was brought up in White City and her partner Michael Rafferty is from Shepherd’s Bush.

At the beginning of the year, they received the devastating news that their much loved son Ollie has been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer in his brain and spine. After he had only been ill for a short time, tests revealed that that the disease had taken hold and Ollie immediately started radiography treatment to reduce the tumours.

Unfortunately, his progress is not what everyone was hoping for and the prognosis for Ollie remains bleak.

Friends of the family have got together to set up a fundraiser to relieve the financial pressure that his parents are currently under. They are already not far short of the £10,000 target they set.

Leanna Penman said, “We do not know how much time we will have with Ollie, but we do know that the time that remains will be filled with as much love, fun, and good memories we can make happen!

“With all of this in mind we would like to raise as much money as possible to take away some of the financial pressures they are facing but also make sure the next chapter is the happiest it can be & allow them to make as many memories as possible to treasure in times to come.

“The next stage of Ollie’s life will not be easy, he is already having mobility issues, but like his parents, his strength is immense, and he's battling on with a sparkle in his eyes and a smile. Friends and family around him take his lead by continuing to have hope & positivity as hard as it may be at times.”

Sema O’Sullivan and Paula Craze have organised a benefit night at O’Donohues (174 Goldhawk Road) from 7pm until late with tickets at £5. There will be a raffle and music.

You can contribute to the Ollie’s Wishes campaign on the GoFundMe website.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.