Isle of Wight woman Natalie Blandford has achieved her lifelong dream of seeing West Ham play as she battles terminal cancer.
Natalie, 39, was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal sinus cancer earlier this year, after seeking medical advice for toothache. Her cousin, Anne Hunt set up a GoFundMe page for her to achieve her dreams – one of which was to watch West Ham – as first reported by Island Echo.
Natalie finally achieved her ambition of watching her beloved West Ham (from the Royal Box) last Sunday. West Ham kindly agreed to waive payment for her visit, meaning the money donated to Natalie’s GoFundMe page can now be spent on her remaining ambitions.
Natalie described watching West Ham as the best day of her life.
The previous day, Isle of Wight Eagles ladies football team travelled up to the Fenlands (where Natalie has been staying with her mother, Gill) to play local side Lynn Legends for the Blandford Cup, a fundraising trophy for Natalie.
Natalie has always had a passion for football and previously played as goalkeeper for the Eagles.
The Island side unfortunately lost the game 2-1, but the match raised an additional £1,610 for Natalie to add to the £6,718 raised by the GoFundMe page.
Natalie’s cousin Anne Hunt wrote:
“Nat got her dream, the reason we started this Go Fund Me page… Yes, that’s right…. Nat, Connie, Gill and Stuart watched West Ham vs Wolves!
“So amazing that they got to go, have an amazing day and making lasting memories for all of them!
“Even better, West Ham were extremely generous and gave the tickets to Natalie! So, all of the money that has been raised so far is still there waiting to make all of her other dreams come true, and hopefully we can find a way to make them bigger and better!”
Anyone wishing to help Natalie achieve her remaining dreams can do so on this GoFundMe page.
