The mother of a young child battling eye cancer says she was 'lost for words' when she visited her son's Just Giving page and saw a substantial donation from Irish footballer James McClean.
17-month-old Caleb Williams has been receiving treatment for a retinoblastoma since he was nine weeks old. Caleb's parents, Jacqueline and Darran, regularly travel to Switzerland with their son where he receives treatment.
Mounting bills and having to pay for flights and accommodation make McClean's generous £3,000 donation most welcome. Caleb's mother told the Belfast Telegraph:
I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I was completely and totally lost for words and in total shock. It's just amazing that someone could help us like that.
I kept looking at the JustGiving page in the morning when the story went out. And then, at lunchtime I saw James McClean's name and this figure. I didn't believe it was happening. He will never know how much this means to us. It will make such a massive difference to us.
Jacqueline added that she emailed McClean's wife Erin to thank her and James for their generosity.
Erin emailed me back to say that her and James just wanted to help out, that she hoped that it helped with the traveling costs. She said my Caleb was 'a dote' and that no little baby deserves to go through what he went through.
This is not the first example of McClean's altruistic streak. He has previously donated substantial amounts to help other families who are dealing with young children suffering from various conditions.
James McClean has just donated £3,000 to help baby Caleb who has a rare form of eye cancer. 👏 pic.twitter.com/Dj0nJJN2gn
— Irish Unity 🇮🇪🇵🇸 (@IrishUnity) September 1, 2017
Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
