Ross Craig - Fundraiser (VM Employees only)
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Thank you for taking the time to visit my Campaign for a Colleague of mine, and yours, Ross Craig. My name is Ben and I work for Virgin Media in our Manchester (Wythenshawe) site.
Ross was an Employee of Virgin Media and worked within our Operation as a Mobile Customer Service Advisor at our Wythenshawe Concord House site. In late 2017, Ross had to leave Virgin Media due to repeated ilnnesses - Headaches and loss of concentration which affected his ability to work.
In the summer of 2018 this had started to get worse by experiencing double vision and struggling with depth perception. He went to an opticians who couldn't find an issue and he was subsequently referred to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital for an MRI scan in December 2018
He received a phone call from the eye hospital on the back of this to inform him of urgent news.
He went to the eye hospital and was told they had found a mass on his brain and would need to be transferred to hospital. An appointment was booked for one week later, one of the longest weeks of his life, but he remained hopeful it could be removed and after treatment and hard work
The hospital requested a secondary MRI scan in January 2019 and on 31st January 2019 he got his results from his Neurosurgeon with his mum.
The day his life changed completely.
Ross was diagnosed with Diffuse Brain Stem Glioma, it was inoperable and a biopsy would further put his life at risk. Radiotherapy was offered but purely as a palliative care measure. It is terminal.
Early February 2019 Ross met his Neuroncologist for the first time who confirmed he is suffering from an incurable rare tumour that is incurable, the Neuroncologist advised it's such a rare cancer he had only seen two cases previously in his entire career but made it very clear that if Ross is lucky and treatment is as effective as possible his life could be extended but It could be as soon as this year.
So, even with a daily 6 week course of radiotherapy to try and prolong his life he's been told very straight that this is terminal and the tumour will return, grow aggressively and progress whilst his disabilities would worsen.
Ross's disabilities have unfortunately already progressed to the point he can no longer go out unless in a wheelchair as he can only walk a few steps with a stick before falling. He wears a patch on his eye due to being disoriented with double vision. His speech has been affected, he now struggles to pronounce words and slur and he suffers violent headaches and sickness.
This is even before any side effects from the radiotherapy start.
Ross's treatment finishes on 29th March 2019. The hope is that this treatment will reduce his disabilities somewhat so he can have some quality of life at the end.
Ross has some short term goals, with his aim is to be well enough in the summer to attend Download music festival.
Ross says he cannot hope to have any long term goals but to take each day as it comes in trying to live life as best as he can and leave his Mum and little sister with good memories and as little grief as possible.
All the money raised throughout this campaign will go directly to Ross as the sole beneficiary. We're raising money so we can make his bucket list a reality, including funding his goals to attend Download festival & removing any financial worries that continue through day to day life so he can enjoy quality time with the people that matter most with the time he has left.
Ross was an Employee of Virgin Media and worked within our Operation as a Mobile Customer Service Advisor at our Wythenshawe Concord House site. In late 2017, Ross had to leave Virgin Media due to repeated ilnnesses - Headaches and loss of concentration which affected his ability to work.
In the summer of 2018 this had started to get worse by experiencing double vision and struggling with depth perception. He went to an opticians who couldn't find an issue and he was subsequently referred to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital for an MRI scan in December 2018
He received a phone call from the eye hospital on the back of this to inform him of urgent news.
He went to the eye hospital and was told they had found a mass on his brain and would need to be transferred to hospital. An appointment was booked for one week later, one of the longest weeks of his life, but he remained hopeful it could be removed and after treatment and hard work
The hospital requested a secondary MRI scan in January 2019 and on 31st January 2019 he got his results from his Neurosurgeon with his mum.
The day his life changed completely.
Ross was diagnosed with Diffuse Brain Stem Glioma, it was inoperable and a biopsy would further put his life at risk. Radiotherapy was offered but purely as a palliative care measure. It is terminal.
Early February 2019 Ross met his Neuroncologist for the first time who confirmed he is suffering from an incurable rare tumour that is incurable, the Neuroncologist advised it's such a rare cancer he had only seen two cases previously in his entire career but made it very clear that if Ross is lucky and treatment is as effective as possible his life could be extended but It could be as soon as this year.
So, even with a daily 6 week course of radiotherapy to try and prolong his life he's been told very straight that this is terminal and the tumour will return, grow aggressively and progress whilst his disabilities would worsen.
Ross's disabilities have unfortunately already progressed to the point he can no longer go out unless in a wheelchair as he can only walk a few steps with a stick before falling. He wears a patch on his eye due to being disoriented with double vision. His speech has been affected, he now struggles to pronounce words and slur and he suffers violent headaches and sickness.
This is even before any side effects from the radiotherapy start.
Ross's treatment finishes on 29th March 2019. The hope is that this treatment will reduce his disabilities somewhat so he can have some quality of life at the end.
Ross has some short term goals, with his aim is to be well enough in the summer to attend Download music festival.
Ross says he cannot hope to have any long term goals but to take each day as it comes in trying to live life as best as he can and leave his Mum and little sister with good memories and as little grief as possible.
All the money raised throughout this campaign will go directly to Ross as the sole beneficiary. We're raising money so we can make his bucket list a reality, including funding his goals to attend Download festival & removing any financial worries that continue through day to day life so he can enjoy quality time with the people that matter most with the time he has left.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ben Jose
Organizer
Ross Craig
Beneficiary