Derbyshire mother nominated for Community Champions award

A MOTHER who set up a charity after her daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour has been nominated for an award.

Dawn Finn said "her world collapsed" when doctors told her that Liberty, then eight months, faced a battle with cancer and needed surgery.

She said she returned home and searched through thousands of websites to find some encouraging support and advice – but read nothing but bad news.

Dawn and husband Carl, 34, decided to start their own charity to support families in similar situations and officially registered the Liberty Rose Trust.

Dawn, 32, has since jumped out of a plane, got thousands of people to sign up to a support group on social networking site Facebook and organised scores of fundraising events, all to highlight her group.

Now she has been nominated for a Community Champions award by her friend, and Liberty Rose Trust treasurer, Debbie Towle.

Dawn, of Station Street, Castle Gresley, said: "It's lovely and so flattering to be nominated for Community Champions.

"But the efforts behind the Liberty Rose Trust are far from single-handed and I like to think that the nomination represents everybody who does their bit for the charity.

"I never had time to come to terms with Libby's condition when we first found out but it was horrendous news and it puts your life on hold.

"There was no one who could really support us through our difficult times, so it's nice to know we can be there for parents and families in similar situations and it's rewarding to help them."

Liberty Rose, three, who has a twin sister, Destiny Mai, underwent immediate surgery after diagnosis, followed by months of chemotherapy.

The tumour, which is wrapped around her optical nerves, cannot be removed from her brain without causing blindness.

It means Liberty suffers from tunnel vision and some mobility problems.

Dawn, who lives with Carl, the twins and children Alex, 15, and Jemma, seven, said her daughter was about a year behind in development.

The Derby Telegraph has teamed up with BBC Radio Derby, Derbyshire Building Society, Derby City Council and Derby County Football Club to launch the Community Champions awards.

Nomination forms can be found on www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/champions or www.bbc.co. uk/derby.

They can also be found in some copies of the Derby Telegraph, or collected from BBC Radio Derby, in St Helen's Street, Derby and from Derbyshire Building Society branches.

They should be sent to Caroline Jones, Community Champions, Derby Evening Telegraph, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby, DE1 2BH by Friday, April 2, at the latest.