Our matchworn shirt auction, which ran for ten days at the start of April, has raised over £2,500 for three-year-old PNE fan Jorgie Rae Griffiths who is battling Neuroblastoma.
The youngster captured the hearts of those at Deepdale when she was mascot for the Championship clash with Wolves earlier this year, and struck up a heartwarming friendship with PNE midfielder John Welsh.
Jorgie's family are raising vital funds to help towards life-saving treatment in America, a treatment that Jorgie started last month.
The money raised the auction on the club's eBay page reached a total of £2,580.73 thanks to the generosity of PNE fans who donated while bidding for the 23 shirts up for grabs.
Jorgie and her family were invited to Deepdale for Saturday's clash with Norwich City, and were presented with a cheque by John Welsh, who also handed Jorgie one of his matchworn shirts from this season with a personalised message for the youngster.
Carole McCabe, Jorgie's grandma, has thanked the club and the fans for their continued support and has given an update on Jorgie's treatment.
"A massive thank you to everyone at PNE for the money raised from the shirt auction. Jorgie had a fantastic day and it was made all the more special by seeing John.
"John is a really lovely guy and that really comes across by how he is with Jorgie. The money raised by the club and the fans so far will go a long way into Jorgie’s treatment in America.
"Jorgie is well at the moment and we thank god every day for that. We are even hoping to get her into playschool for a day or two a week. Her treatment in America will continue for at least the next two years and possibly beyond.
"We just don’t know how things will work out in the future. Neuroblastoma is an aggressive cancer and has a high relapse rate of over 60%. We need to keep fundraising and continue to raise the amount of money needed just in case.
"Everyday we try to remain positive as Jorgie fights everyday to stay well. The money raised so far is over £40,000 and this will help massively with the treatment in America.
"There are additional costs for flights, accommodation and food and any additional treatment that Jorgie may need whilst in America. The treatment Jorgie is having is (DFMO) difluoromethylornithine and could potentially give Jorgie an extra percentage on her life.
"We fly out to America again on the 13th June for more treatment and she will go to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (RMCH) to have scans and tests prior to flying out. RMCH will continue to monitor Jorgie going forward every month to make sure that everything is at is at the moment."
If you would like to donate to Jorgie's Just Giving page please click here.
If you have any fundraising ideas to help support Jorgie's treatment, please email media@pne.com.