A little boy who has wished for death to spare him from the excruciating pain of eczema has seen donations for specialist treatment rocket as his father prepares for a 900 mile bike ride with friends.
Five-year-old Morgan Bishop, of Watermead inTadworth, suffers from a type of eczema so severe he can barely move without the skin around his face, arms or legs cracking.
Ready to go: Paul Brown, Dickon Parnell, Neil Whitton and John Chammings at the back, with Paul Bishop and Samantha Parnell in front.
After a long search for treatments which could end the nightmare for both him and his parents Paul, 43, and Dana, 36, hope has come in the form of a hydrotherapy centre in France.
In order to raise the money to fund a three-week course of treatment, Mr Bishop and friends are saddling up for an epic 900 mile cycle ride.
The four men, who comprise personal trainer Mr Bishop along with Paul Brown, Neil Whitton, and John Chammings, will set off on September 11 from The Vale Primary School, in Epsom, which Morgan attends and head for Nice, on the south coast of France.
The story of their efforts was carried by national newspapers including the Daily Mail - and the resulting explosion of interest and donations has, in Mr Bishop’s case alone, seen the total rocket up to £42,500. The target was originally set at £4,000.
Astonishingly Morgan’s plight even appears to have melted the notoriously hardened hearts of the criminal world, as Mr Bishop revealed £1,350 of the money pledged had come from stolen credit cards, according to police.
He said: "Apparently six cards in total were used and naturally this money will be paid back. It’s awful that someone has done that, but also amazing that they wanted to help so much they were willing to break the law."
Morgan is due to have the first of an initial three, three week sessions, at the French spa on Saturday, August 8, and each visit will cost £4,000.
Mrs Bishop has been overwhelmed by the support for her husband’s challenge, not to mention the messages of hope from around the world.
She said: "After the article appeared, Paul’s total went from £4,000 to £20,000 practically overnight. The story was even shared 240,000 times on the Chinese version of Twitter!
"I get emails all the time from people in every country you can think of recommending treatments and offering words of hope. The boost they have given us is beyond words."
Mr Brown, of Tattenham Corner, said: "When I think of the task before us it is daunting, but thinking of Morgan and what he is going through only strengthens my resolve."
Sponsor the Mr Bishop via the website Www.gofundme.com/paulbishop.
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