Big backing for Hartlepool boy's USA treatment bid

Hartlepool woman Katy Grant is mum to eight-year-old Alex and is bidding to raise £30,000 for Alex’s hearing to be restored.

Alex was born with microtia which is the under-development of his external ear, and aural atresia, which is a lack of an external ear canal.

Katy Grant with her son Alex in his younger days.

John Reinisch is Los Angeles-based specialist who has developed the Medpor method of ear reconstruction which treats microtia.

Katy is bidding to send her son to the USA and is raising money through a campaign called Ear For Alex. Now her bid has been backed by the team behind the Bradley Lowery’s Fight Against Neuroblastoma campaign.

Lynn Murphy, Bradley Lowery’s fundraising coordinator, said she is offering her fundraising advice to Katy.

She said: “We are helping the fundraising side of the Ear for Alex campaign. I will be helping Katy by giving her advice and support on how to deal with social media.

“I first heard about the campaign after her fundraising page was shared on my wall. I know she has been fundraising for around five years just doing her own thing so I got in touch and said ‘do you want some help’.

“We are just offering support rather than a donation itself. So far I have spoken to her on the phone and over social media but hope to meet up with her soon.”

Katy said: “Lynn found me after I posted a link looking for donations for the Great North Run later this year. When I got the email, I was so surprised. To have them contact us to help us is amazing.

“They have done such a great job for little Bradley I am truly honoured to have even been considered for help by them. I’ve been fundraising for just over 5 years and to have this kind of boost to the appeal is fantastic.”

The Ear For Alex campaign total is sitting at around £12,000 and Katy said: “Since Lynn started helping, the page has gone from 574 likes to almost 1000, with almost £100 in donations coming in from very generous strangers in the last few weeks.

“Alex has recently turned 8, and become a big brother and is very excited about it all. He has followed Bradley since the Sunderland-Everton game where Everton (his team) donated the £200,000 so was a bit star struck by the whole thing when I told him.”

Katy has set up a website with more details on the condition affecting her son. Visit it at www.earforalex.co.uk.

To support the campaign, visit https://www.gofundme.com/ear-for-alex.

Interested people can also visit the Ear For Alex page on Facebook.