Forth Road Bridge: Helicopter help for Dundee girl’s cancer treatment

A 14-year-old Dundee girl suffering from cancer was flown by helicopter to Edinburgh for treatment this morning because of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

Megan Fletcher who has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphona and her mother Shona faced an arduous early-morning journey to make it to Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children for her appointment.

Although the journey normally takes just over an hour by car, the closure of the Forth Road Bridge meant Megan and Shona would have to get a taxi to the train station, travel to Edinburgh by rail and then walk from Waverley Station along Princes Street to catch a bus to the hospital all before 9am.

However, Edinburgh businessman Sandy Bloomer, owner of Gift Experience Scotland, swooped in to help when he heard about the Fletchers’ travel problems.

He arranged for the helicopter to pick Megan and Shona up on Friday morning and it will be used to bring them back to Dundee next week once Megan’s course of chemotherapy is over.

Other firms have also helped to provide accommodation for the pair during their stay in Edinburgh.

For more on this story see Saturday’s Courier.