A fundraising target to make a terminally ill Fife woman’s dream come true has been surpassed in just 24 hours thanks to kind-hearted donors.
Fiona Ramsey, from Pitteuchar in Glenrothes, has always yearned to have a summer house in which to plant and grow her flowers.
But her dream looked impossible less than a week ago when Fiona was given the harrowing news by doctors at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary that she wouldn’t recover from the cancerous tumour found in her brain.
It came as a huge shock to the 51-year-old, who had hoped two recent operations would help her recovery.
Fiona – who also has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – had suffered a series of dizzy spells which, following tests, confirmed the devastating news she had cancer.
Overwhelming support for the appeal
With Fiona expected to be convalescing in hospital for the next two weeks, son Chris Ramsey set up a GoFundMe page to try and raise £1,500 for a summer house.
And the 29-year-old, who lives in Leslie, was left stunned by the generosity of friends and the public who dug deep to help smash the target after less than a day.
Now, with the appeal continuing, Chris says he will be able to build the summer house for his mum thanks to the many who stepped up to donate.
He said: “It’s been such a terrible time with the news that there is now nothing the doctors and surgeons can do to save my mum.
“So I was thinking of how I could make things special for her when she returns home and knew she had always loved the idea of having her very own little summer house in her garden.
“I set up the appeal not really expecting much reaction but have been completely overwhelmed by the public’s response and the calls from people offering help.
Mum’s tears of joy
“I told my mum about it and she burst into tears.
“It’s the first time in years that I’ve seen my mum cry, even with everything that has happened to her since the turn of the year, and it was because she was so humbled that people could be so generous.”
Chris wants to keep the appeal going in a bid to decorate the house and stock the garden with a few of her favourite plants and flowers.
He added: “I just want it to be special for when she returns home so she can enjoy her garden at her bungalow in a way she never done before.”