A SICK child is every parent or guardian’s nightmare.
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For Guyra’s Kerr family, it was daughter Peta’s diagnosis of cancer last year.
The Bald Blair Public School school girl was diagnosed with a bleed on the brain and rushed to John Hunter Hospital for emergency surgery in May 2017.
A short time later, doctors diagnosed Peta, who was then in year 4, with a brain tumour.
It was later removed but she continued to undergo treatment.
But the Guyra community have refused to let the family shoulder the burden by themselves and stepped up with multiple fundraising drives.
Over the last year, the local community has raised thousands of dollars to support the family with a range of events.
A charity lamb sale raised more than $6000 for the Kerr family last week.
Parent and Citizens' treasurer Sarah Hancock said the group were blown away by the community spirit.
She is also a friend and neighbour to the Kerr family.
“It was a collective effort from the community and all the selling agents in New England,” Ms Hancock said last week.
Ms Hancock was delighted with the amount raised.
She had expected the total to be a little over $4000.
“The P&C would like to sincerely thank all involved for their time and donations. Your support is invaluable.”
Peta is the middle child in her family, and is in now Year 5 at Bald Blair Primary School, a small community school with only 13 families.
After the Bald Blair P&C exhausted all local fundraising avenues, they appealed to the wider community.
Guyra farmers responded by donating three pens of lambs and ewes totalling 39 heads, and some cash donations in lieu of lambs.
The New England Selling Agents and sale yard staff conducted the “Pennies for Peta” lamb drive last Wednesday.
The total amount raised was $6398.72.
The money raised will help pay for Peta and her family to go to Brisbane treatment in March.
The school girl will spend 40 days undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatment which will help her body to recover from chemotherapy.
The Guyra community has rallied round the Kerr family over the last few months, raising funds at school and through cycling events.
A raffle to be drawn in March has already raised $1100.
Last year Bald Blair Public School pupils wore their favourite outfits to school on to raise money for their class mate, which they dubbed ‘Happy Day’.
The day included games, a BBQ lunch and a disco in the afternoon.