Nikita Moore

Republished from the Somerset Guardian, 5th October 2006

THE CAMPAIGN to send 11-year-old cancer patient Nikita Moore back to the US for life-saving treatment has been given a huge boost, with a benefactor hoping to raise £50,000 for the family.

The kind-hearted supporter is Mel Griffin, the head of European property investment at Eagle Strategic Land in Cheltenham. So far, Mr Griffin has donated £1,000 to the family. Now he is organising a sponsored abseil down a building, in Cheltenham, with the aim of raising up to £50,000.

Nikita, from Peasedown St John, has been diagnosed four times with cancer during her life, prompting her parents, Tracey and Nicholas Trezise, to remortgage their house to pay for pioneering treatment for their daughter in the US.
In August, Nikita - who is suffering from a synovial sarcoma, a cancer on her head that has spread to her lung - was given three months to live by her doctor.

Since the Somerset Guardian first reported her plight, the community has rallied to support the family. A succession of sponsored walks, runs, skydives and head-shaves have been organised to raise money.

But now the family has been given the greatest boost they could ever have hoped for.

Mr Griffin said: “I heard about Nikita through a healer I know in Wales. I particularly wanted to help her as I have three children myself who are aged 14, 19 and 22.

“I feel so lucky and gifted that I’ve been given three healthy children. I just felt that Nikita needed a break.”
Mr Griffin said he had previously raised money for local causes through sponsored building abseil attempts in Cheltenham.

“The £1,000 I sent over was to help the family pay for their enormous grocery bills as Nikita has to eat an organic diet, and take expensive vaccines and treatments. They are doing what they can to keep Nikita going,” added Mr Griffin.

“I will make it happen for Nikita. I am 100 per cent calling this fundraiser Mission Possible.

“If we can raise £150,000 that would be great, but I think £50,000 is very realistic as my family and friends have already pledged about £25,000.”

Mr Griffin has also organised for Simon Treselyan, a Reiki practitioner, to fly over from his home in Australia and treat Nikita on Monday October 23. The support that Nikita and her family have received from residents continues to overwhelm them.

A trained Reiki practitioner from Timsbury has also offered Nikita free Reiki, crystal and sound healing therapy twice a week. Matthew Holbrook uses sound healing techniques to restore a patient’s energy and renew life force. Every week, Nikita has the chance to play with Tibetan and crystal bowls during the sound healing sessions, and is given universal life-force energy
treatments through Reiki.

A website dedicated to Nikita, donated by Cameron Cain Design, can be viewed at www.nikitamoore.com.