Invergordon lass gets the chop for plucky pal battling blood cancer

A THOUGHTFUL lass inspired by a little Easter Ross pal battling blood cancer has provided a double boost to two charities close to her heart.

Eleven-year-old Jessica Fraser decided to cut a whopping 10 inches off her hair and donate it to The Little Princess Trust after hearing Adeline Davidson of Shillinghill in Alness was suffering from myelodysplasia (MDS), a rare blood cancer.

Shannon's mum Leanne explained: "Jessica would also like to try and raise some money for Cancer Research because without it her own Granda might not be here today. Also for the ones who lost their fight and to those still fighting.

"Anyone who knows Jessica knows how much she loves her hair so it would be amazing to raise as much as she can for the charity."

Adeline's family have appealed to people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan Trust register in a bid to help people like her find a stem cell donor. Anyone between the ages of 16 and 30 can join the online register at anthonynolan.org/join

A cheek swab can be sent in the post and anyone found to be a match could donate stem cells. Nine out of ten people donate via the bloodstream in a straightforward process.

Amy Bartlett, Anthony Nolan's regional development manager for Scotland, said: "Every single person who signs up has the potential to give someone like Adeline a second chance at life."

Jessica had set herself a modest £100 target for her big chop effort but smashed it with a total of £1410.

Anyone still wishing to donate can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jessica-Fraser25

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