By Philip Murray

DESPAIR has turned to delight for a Brechin woman whose daughter has flat-head syndrome after a local charity picked up the bill for her costly medical treatment—thanks to The Courier.

Cash for Kids has offered to pay the full cost of treatment for Dawn Wallace’s daughter Ar’den after they read The Courier’s coverage of the story on Saturday and were moved by her plight.

The six-month-old suffers from plagiocephaly, a condition caused when plates in the skull fail to fuse properly, leaving the skull misshapen.

While not life-threatening the syndrome can prove traumatic for youngsters as they grow up.

However NHS doctors had refused to stump up the costs, arguing the helmet which could correct the shape of Ar’den’s skull was a “cosmetic” treatment with a questionable success rate.

This left Dawn staring at a whopping £5000 bill for the helmet and the costs of regular travel to London for its adjustment as Ar’den grows.

And the Brechin mum feared she would have to take a sizeable loan out and regular time off work to ensure her girl got the care she deserved.

But now the full bill for the treatment, and travel expenses, will be picked up by Cash for Kids— formerly Caring for Kids—after eagle-eyed trustees spotted our article and resolved to help.

The offer of cash came like a bolt from the blue for Dawn, who broke down in tears when she first heard the great news on Monday morning.

“Everything has just happened so fast. When I got the phone call from Cash for Kids I thought it was a joke at first. I just wasn’t expecting it and I started crying on the phone—I couldn’t speak,” she said.

“Before they called I wasn’t sure how everything was going to work out so their help is a major relief.

“I’d like to give a massive thank you to them for everything and also to councillor Ruth Leslie Melville for her help, and The Courier as well.

“If it weren’t for your paper then Cash for Kids would never have seen my story,” she added.

Cash for Kids’ generous donation came about as part of celebrations to mark the launch of their new name.

The trustees were each given £3000 to donate to a worthy cause as part of their re-launch campaign.

Trustee Lorraine Stevenson, programme director for Tay FM, teamed up with fellow trustee Ally Ballingall to provide the £5000 needed for Ar’den’s medical costs. And Lorraine was on hand yesterday to hand over the cheque to a grateful Dawn.

“The Cash for Kids trustees were each allocated money to celebrate the charity’s re-branding so the search was on for a worthwhile cause,” said Lorraine.

“When we read Dawn’s story in The Courier, myself and Ally Ballingall decided that was it.

“We have helped other children with the same condition before and the benefit they had from the treatment was tremendous,” she added.

Before Cash for Kids stepped in to the breach Angus Provost Ruth Leslie Melville had fought Dawn’s corner with the authorities.

She was looking into the possibility of funding for Ar’den’s treatment and was quietly confident of success when she talked to The Courier ahead of the original story last weekend.

But the nature of Ar’den’s condition, and the limited time before the skull’s plates fuse, meant time was short.

So she was delighted when Cash for Kids stepped forward with the full amount within days.

The councillor was on hand yesterday and said, “This treatment is not available on the NHS in Scotland and I’d been working with Dawn to access some funding.

“I think we would have done it eventually, but not as quickly as this and, with time being of the essence, this has really taken a load off her mind.

“It’s wonderful to see a good news story and it’s so nice that Cash for Kids just came forward and offered the money without anyone even getting in touch first,” she added.

Dawn is wasting no time in making use of Cash for Kids’ generous donation.

Ar’den is booked for her first appointment with specialists in London on Friday and, all going well, treatment will be completed by the end of the year.

Cash for Kids launched their new name on Monday to provide a universal port of call for the Caring for Kids charities.

Before this many linked charities operated under different names, making unified campaigns difficult.

All cash raised locally will still remain in the local area, but administration costs are slashed.