Wool donations fund soldier’s life-saving op
01 Oct 2013
Members of University staff have helped to send a female ex-soldier to the US for life-saving treatment by donating wool and crocheted squares to make blankets which were sold to raise funds for the trip.
The May issue of Staff Update featured an appeal by Janet Platt in the University Language Centre for donations of wool or crocheted squares to be made into blankets. These were to be sold to raise money for life-saving treatment for her neighbour’s daughter.
Katrina Brown, 30, was exposed to radioactive material while serving as a medic at a military clinic in Iraq in 2003 and is now suffering with systemic sclerosis, a rare auto-immune disease which is attacking her major organs. Her only hope was to go to the USA for pioneering treatment.
Following a successful appeal which raised the £21,000 needed, Katrina will fly out in October for tests which will show if she is eligible for a stem cell transplant which could re-boot her immune system.
Janet said: “I’d like to thank to everyone at the University who donated wool or spent time crocheting squares for the blankets.”
You can follow the progress of Katrina’s fundraising campaign at: