The main reason why this night is taking place is to raise money for a very small charity called LAM Action.
My wife Melissa passed away on 28th December 2008. She was 33 years old. She had developed a rare lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) that only affects women, usually of child bearing age. Her first diagnosis of this disease was when she was 13 weeks pregnant with our son Miles in 2007. It is a pretty horrendous disease, often likened to cancer, but due to the fact it is so rare it is often overlooked by fundraisers. There are only about 100 women in the UK who have been diagnosed with LAM.
To find out more you can visit the LAM Action website at www.lamaction.org.
LAM Action provides information, support and encouragement for LAM patients and their families – through their website, an email chatline (LAMLine) (this was especially helpful for Melissa), a regular newsletter (LAMPost) and their annual meeting. LAM Action also raises much needed money to help in the research into LAM.
The profits from the sale of all tickets will go directly to LAM Action.
We also want to raise awareness of the impact of organ donation.
Right now more than 10,000 people in the UK need an organ transplant that could save or dramatically improve their lives. But each year around 1,000 people die while waiting for a transplant. Help us to give these people the chance for a new life.
To join the NHS Organ Donor Register and give the gift of life, click here or call 0300 123 23 23.