Local basketball development club, Swindon Shock formed through young people’s involvement with the Street Games Project, is shooting for a new target to help fundraise for local Swindon girl Tami Brown, who has terminal cancer. After being personally inspired by seeing her story in the local media, players and coaches alike felt compelled to help raise money to help Tami, who is trying to fund a new form of treatment for her cancer.
Tami Brown is 27 and from Abbey Meads in Swindon, and has been battling cancer since she was 20 years old. First in her colon, then having it spread to her liver and then lungs. After 32 sessions of chemo, 5 sessions of radiation and lifesaving surgery twice, doctors said last summer that there is nothing more they can do as it has spread to the lungs. Tami has been researching pioneering new forms of treatment and one particular treatment, intravenous megadose vitamin C therapy, which has had huge success in the USA and New Zealand, is relatively unknown in the UK and isn’t funded by the NHS.
Since launching a campaign to raise the money to pay for treatment on tamiswish.org, Shock Swindon have got behind Tami in helping her raise the money. A number of Shock players already contribute and help community projects through their volunteering on the Street Games Project, but this time around the entire club wants to help Tami. During all their games teams will be asking for donations from spectators and visitors. Also on 26th March will be a Midnight Madness basketball event in which all the local teams as well as teams from Bristol will participate. All proceeds will go to tamiswish.org.