Firstly, thank you for taking the time to follow the link to this fundraising page. You will be here because you knew the love of my life, my soul mate and, most recently, my wife Celia Cooper-Clayton (nee Clayton) also a beloved daughter of Thelma Clayton and adored sister of Adrian Clayton. Like us you are probably still coming to terms with the shocking news of her passing and trying to understand why. The exact cause of death is still the subject of a post-mortem and ongoing Coroner’s investigation but the most likely culprit, and the condition for which she was being treated, is a little know fungal disease called Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis, one of a number of fungal infections that are becoming worryingly more common today.
Celia sadly passed away on 20th April 2019 at the age of just 54 after what, in hindsight, seems like a rapid deterioration following an initial diagnosis in January. For Celia the anti-fungal drugs she was prescribed were sadly ineffective and every day that passed was a day which allowed the infection to cause ever more irreparable damage. I have since read that more than 50% of people with Invasive Aspergillosis die even with treatment. This is why it is so important to raise awareness and to support much needed research into new treatments.
In Celia’s memory we would like to support The Fungal Infection Trust (FIT). This is a little-known charity which works tirelessly to raise monies for research into fungal infection, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of fungal illnesses and to increase the awareness of their impact. In particular it supports clinical research projects at the National Aspergillosis Centre in the Manchester, UK.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for any donation that you might consider making in Celia’s memory no matter how small. She was an amazing woman who touched so many lives in her short life. I truly hope that some good can now come out of her untimely death.
Update: Thanks to this amazing woman, £4,232.50 has been raised for the Fungal Infection Trust.
Thank You
Post expires at 11:05am on Sunday May 17th, 2020