It's Superhero Zach!

Devonport High School pupil, Zachariah Wallis, 14, has joined the growing team of supporters who will be abseiling off the roof of the Plymouth landmark hotel, the Holiday Inn, later this month to help raise vital funds for the children’s wards at Derriford Hospital.

The Gold Dust Appeal has joined forces with the Children’s Happy Hospital Fund (CHHF) and Derriford Children’s Cancer Services (DCCS) for the first Superheroes Abseil, which will take place on Sunday 25 September.

Raising funds for the children’s wards and departments at Derriford Hospital is something that is very close to the hearts of the Wallis family. Zach's sister, Emilia-Mae, was born with Down Syndrome and has spent much of her life in and out of hospital.

Shortly after birth she was diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect of the heart and Hypermobility Syndrome both commonly associated with the condition she was born with.

After a routine cardiology appointment when Emilia-Mae was 20 months old her parents were told that her heart had deteriorated and it was likely she would now require open-heart surgery. Just a week later the family were further devastated with the news that Emilia-Mae had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

Emilia-Mae spent the following seven months in hospital being treated with an intensive course of chemotherapy. Finally beating the cancer into remission, Emilia-Mae returned home with her parents but the disease, the treatment and the multiple blood transfusions had left her weak, with no immune system and way behind in her development.

At three years old Emilia-Mae could not walk or talk and yet, despite going on to be diagnosed with further medical problems in her thyroid and eyes, she managed, within two years, to sufficiently catch up her development to be able to walk into main stream school with her peers; winning her the accolade of Pride of Plymouth ‘Young Hero 2015’ award.

Since coming out of treatment Emilia-Mae’s parents, Michael and Trudy, have fundraised tirelessly for Derriford Children’s Cancer Service (DCCS), a part of Plymouth Hospital’s General Charity that Michael now helps to run.

Emilia-Mae and Zachariah Selfless big brother, Zach, who has ambitions of becoming a scientist so he can work on a cure for childhood cancer, has always supported the DCCS events but has been looking for something to make his own.

He remarked: “Abseiling is right up my street, I’m a bit of an adrenalin junkie. I spent five days on the children’s ward in 2013 when I broke my leg and it was hard going, so I can’t imagine how tough it was for my sister and parents for all those months.

“I am really excited about doing this and I’m really pleased to have found my own way to give something back to the hospital that has done so much to care for my family.

“I would be really grateful to anybody who could sponsor me by going to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Zachariah-Wallis or by texting RIAH47 £5 to 70070.”

There’s also still time to sign up for the abseil. So if anyone would like to reveal their inner superhero, and get sponsored to help children and young people at the same time, please sign up here http://bit.ly/GoldDustAbseil or contact Emma Cronin, Gold Dust Fundraising Manager, for more details at ecronin@nhs.net or call 01752 432425.

The Gold Dust Appeal aims to raise £100,000 to create a bright, exciting and welcoming environment throughout the children’s and young people’s areas on level 12 of Derriford Hospital.