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Staff from the Grand Hotel and Spa will go to great lengths in a swimming challenge this month in a bid to raise money for alternative therapies for a terminally ill colleague fighting a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Laura Cafferty (34), the hotel’s Spa Manager, was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma – a tissue cancer – last March after feeling pain in her leg.
Following her diagnosis, the mother of one-year-old Maya began chemotherapy, but was given the devastating news in July that it hadn’t worked, as the tumour in her leg had grown and the cancer had spread to her pelvis and back.
But Laura and her husband Karl, who both moved to the island from Ireland five years ago, are determined not to give up and are exploring alternative treatments instead both in the US and Germany.
And the Kilmovee native’s friends, family and colleagues have pulled out all the stops to help with that mission. In eight months, a GoFundMe page has raised over €82,000 (£72,000). They have also organised numerous fundraising events in Ireland and Jersey which have also contributed to the fundraising efforts. A lip sync event organised in November in Charlestown, County Mayo in Ireland, raised an impressive £45,000.
Pictured: Laura with her husband Karl and daughter Maya celebrating Christmas.
After hosting a fundraiser ball in September, the staff at the Grand Hotel wanted to help Laura again and raise the money she needs to get treatment that could save her life.
This time, they’ve organised a Swimathon in the hotel pool set to take place on the 14 January starting from 07:00 – and now they’re looking for other islanders to get involved.
Simon Miller, General Manager of Hand Picked Hotels Jersey said: “We were all devastated when we heard Laura’s diagnosis and really wanted to help her, her husband Karl and their little baby girl Maya to reach their fundraising target of £150,000. Last summer we hosted a gala dinner to raise funds. The hotel’s Spa therapists and the team at our sister hotel L’Horizon Beach Hotel & Spa offered a morning of special 25-minute express treatments and so far we have raised £6,000 to support Laura’s charity.
“We know Islanders are incredibly generous and we hope they will help us make a big splash and dig deep to help this lovely young family.”
Pictured: The Swimathon will take place on 14 January in the pool of the Grand Hotel.
The team behind the fundraising efforts recently shared an update on their Facebook page, Laura's Fight Against Cancer. Thanking everyone who “supported, donated and got involved in fundraisers for Laura’s fight over the last 5 months", they announced they had reached their initial fundraising target.
They added: "With your help, Laura has been able to carry out a lot of tests to see if certain alternative treatments are worth exploring, unfortunately none have been suitable to date. That being said however, without your help, many of these opportunities wouldn’t have been explored due to financial constraints.
"Laura is currently pursuing a holistic approach. In late November / early December she embarked on a three-week Cancer Remission Program in Thailand. This is an intensive program designed to rejuvenate the body and mind to a healthy state. Laura will be carrying on with this approach in her everyday life and has decided not to pursue any more chemotherapy for now as it has proven ineffective for her. She is still looking at other alternative treatment opportunities, tests and trials as they arise, and has been given the ability of choice due to the current funds raised."
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