AN eight-year-old girl is using her recently established earring business to support organisations that helped her after she diagnosed with and began treatment for neurofibromatosis.<\/p>\n
Lethbridge-based Tilly Young was told she had the condition, where tumours form on the brain, nerves and spinal cord, mid-last year and now she\u2019s giving $2 from every sale of her hand made earrings to the organisations that supported her.<\/p>\n
Tilly started her first course surgery for neurofibromatosis type 1 the week after her birthday.<\/p>\n
The money she\u2019s raised will be split between the Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Children\u2019s Tumour Foundation of Australia.<\/p>\n
Tilly established her store in early February and after buying all tools, cutters, and equipment herself, she said it\u2019s been an enjoyable way for her to give back to an important cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been fun making different earrings and finding new types I can make like dog paws and things like that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe make polymer clay earrings and studs, and we\u2019re going to start trying to make dangling earrings. We\u2019ve made about 37 different types of pairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel really grateful for what people are doing to support it. Everywhere people are offering to sell them at their work or at their place.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the help of her parents Stacy Walsh and Stewart Young, Tilly makes an average of 60 earrings each week, with much of her production taking place on Friday evenings into the weekend.<\/p>\n
The family organised a fundraiser page for the Children\u2019s Tumour Foundation of Australia with an initial $500 goal.<\/p>\n
With their target reaching past the $2500 mark, Mr Young said the response from the community has been incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone that\u2019s heard about it has just jumped onboard,\u201d he said. \u201cThe locals have been more than happy to donate and it was funny how fast the total went up.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day it was like oh my god, more people have donated. A mate of mine\u2019s sister owns a couple daycare centres in Bannockburn who offered to sell some there with gold coin donations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a whirlwind.\u201d<\/p>\n
With demand increasing, an Etsy store was established late last month, with Ms Walsh handling social media and making home drop-offs throughout Golden Plains Shire.<\/p>\n
She said they\u2019ve always had their children donate part of their pocket money to the Ronald McDonald House Charities or Good Friday Appeal and that she\u2019s proud of her daughter\u2019s ongoing support.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Till\u2019s got such a kind nature,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything she\u2019s going through with her treatment, she never complains, and gets on with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stayed at Ronald McDonald House when she had her surgeries to start her chemotherapy and they were pretty amazing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no cure for NF so I\u2019m really proud she\u2019s wanting to help others when she\u2019s going through her own struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tilly\u2019s Etsy store can be found at tillypearltreasures.etsy.com while her CTF fundraiser page is at bit.ly\/3L11JmL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AN eight-year-old girl is using her recently established earring business to support organisations that helped her after she diagnosed with and began treatment for neurofibromatosis. Lethbridge-based Tilly Young was told she had the condition, where tumours form on the brain, nerves and spinal cord, mid-last year and now she\u2019s giving $2 from every sale of […]<\/p>\n