Come dine with us for a good cause

Sally Aldred, a Christchurch resident whose sister has been diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma brain tumour, is offering a pop up dining experience all in aid of a good cause. Her friends Hannah and Tony are inviting you into their home for a ‘come dine with us’ experience – with all proceeds going towards research on astrocytomas

The idea is simple, ’come dine with us’ for a three-course meal and complementary wine and simply pay what you think it’s worth. All the money raised will be donated towards ground breaking brain tumour research.

February 2011 was not a good month for Sally. Not only was the earthquake to shake her world, she was also rocked with the news that her eldersister Johanna (36) - who lives in Wales with her two small children (2yrs and 5yrs) and husband – had been diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma brain tumour.

While Sally dealt with her own issues brought on by the earthquakes, she also undertook a bittersweet trip to the UK. There she helped look after Johanna’s children and was strong for her parents and Johanna’s husband – as she watched her big sister undergo brain surgery, intensive radio therapy, and come to terms with the fact that her sister may not see her wee boys grow up.

Sally began fundraising last month with a Trademe auction selling a date with her and her friends to Flight of the Conchords. The auction was a great success and has so far raised $521, but this is a mere drop in the ocean when medical research is concerned. So, to continue on with the fundraising efforts, Sally’s friend Hannah Bolton has pitched in with the ‘come dine with us’ concept. Hannah has also had her fair share of trials over the last 18 month, dealing with a broken quake-shaken home, and a mother battling breast cancer. Hannah’s mother – who underwent her chemotherapy during the worst of the quakes – is now in remission and Hannah is only too happy to do what she can now to assist Sally’s sister Johanna.

Sally and Hannah are approaching local supermarkets to donate the ingredients for the three course meal and local liquor outlets to donate the wine. The first ‘come dine with us’ experience will be held on Saturday 4th August and if it is a success, the pair plan to hold a number of these events on a regular basis, until Sally heads back to the UK for a trip at Christmas to spend time with her sister and family and to present the UK-based researcher* with the money raised. (Sally’s trip has only been made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor who has paid for her flights. A trip, which wouldn’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for the anonymous donor of the flights)

*Astrocytoma affects mainly children and young adults under the age of 40. In the UK it is surprising to hear that only around two percent of the money raised for cancer research goes to brain tumour research, which is why Sally and her friends have decided to raise money specifically for that type of research. There is a research study going on at present with Dr Tracy Warr and her team at the Neuro-Oncology Research Centre at the University of Wolverhampton into grade 2 astrocytoma, the type of tumour Johanna has. Sally’s fund raising efforts will be directed at Dr Warr’s research project.

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