THE mother of a baby girl who launched a lifesaving campaign is hoping shoppers in South Tyneside will help her on a fundraising quest.
Sharon Eckert hopes to raise £10,000 for the hospital unit which tried to save her baby daughter.
Miley Turbitt, who suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, died last November, aged just 14 weeks, while waiting for a heart transplant.
Last month, her family launched campaign ‘In Miley’s Memory’, aimed at encouraging more people to sign up to the organ donor register.
They are also raising a petition calling for a change in the organ donation system, to one in which a person is automatically registered unless they opt out.
As part of the campaign, the family hope to raise £10,000 for Newcastle’s Freeman Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Children’s Heart Unit.
Asda in Boldon has now added its weight to the campaign, by naming ‘In Miley’s Memory’ as one of three causes shoppers can chose to receive a cash donation.
Customers can make their choice known by placing a green token in a box in store from now until the end of April.
Community Life Champion at the store, Tracey Tough, said: “In Miley’s Memory is such a worthwhile and important campaign.
“Sharon is an incredibly brave woman and Asda is only too happy to help the family to promote this campaign.”
Ms Eckert, 38, from Westmorland Road, South Shields, said: “I can’t thank Asda enough for choosing the unit that tried to save Miley’s life as one of the causes, which will be up on the board for people to vote on.
“I’ve had so much support since the start of the campaign. It has been overwhelming.”
Since the start of the campaign, 275 people have signed up to become an organ donor in South Tyneside.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition which causes the heart muscle to thicken and prevent it from pumping blood around the body.
Download a petition here and print it out for your friends and family to sign.
To sign up to the organ donation register, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk by clicking here
Completed forms should be handed in to the Shields Gazette reception in Chapter Row, South Shields, no later than March 28.
Twitter: @shieldsgazlisa
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