Pier going green for Ernie
January 27, 2020
Clacton Pier is supporting a fundraising drive for the family of an 18-month-old toddler who needs an urgent life-saving bone marrow transplant.
Little Ernie Toms is being admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital tomorrow (Jan 28) where he will receive intensive chemotherapy to prepare him for the operation.
The transplant is scheduled for next week and the 18-month-old will remain in hospital for up to three months.
He will then need to be isolated at home so his immune system can develop.
Ernie’s parents Lionel and Charlotte contacted the Pier last week to see if it would turn its lighting green – the colour of the transplant ribbon - to raise awareness of his situation and support their fundraising efforts.
Communications Manager Nigel Brown said the landmark was more than happy to oblige and back the family who live in Clacton.
“We will be going green tonight and for the rest of this week and hope the town will get behind this family at this very difficult time,” he said.
“They need all the help they can get, and we want them to know they are not alone, and people will be thinking of them and little Ernie.
“We also look forward to welcoming the whole family to the Pier when they are ready for a special day out, hopefully this summer.”
Ernie suffers from Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome and needs the operation as his body is now starting to attack his own blood cells.
His brother Reg, who is three, went through the same operation as he suffers from the condition and is still currently in recovery.
Reg’s donor match was found in Germany while Ernie’s donor was found in America.
Mr Toms, who manages FC Clacton Reserves, said that Reg was diagnosed the day after his first birthday and Charlotte was at that time pregnant with Ernie.
They knew there was a 50 per cent chance he would also have the condition if he was a boy. Ernie was born at 39 weeks and tests confirmed the couple’s worst fears.
“It is tough to take but we just have to do what we have to do,” added Mr Toms. “We also have an older son George, who is seven, and it is a juggling act to make sure we do our very best for all three of them.”
Mr Toms had to give up his job as general manager of a restaurant and Charlotte left her role as a social worker so they could concentrate on their boys.
They have set up a GoFundMe page, #ernietomsknockingoutwiskottaldrich, to help them meet travelling costs and other expenses over the coming months.
Mr Toms said: “We are so grateful for the support we had when we went through Reg’s transplant and we are now faced with a similar situation.”
Ends
Nigel Brown
Nigel joined Clacton Pier as its Communications Manager in February 2018. He had just retired as Tendring District Council's Communications Manager after 12 years. Previously he was Deputy Editor at the Clacton Gazette where he worked for 23 years.