By HELEN COMPSON helen.compson@hexham-courant.co.uk

Last updated at 09:35, Friday, 31 October 2008

MICKEY Mouse and a pod of killer whales proved a formidable combination, and they made little Anya Potter’s year.

For the four-year-old, who is battling a life-limiting disease, enjoyed all the thrills and spills Florida’s Disney World had to offer.

Anya and her family have just enjoyed a fortnight in the sun, thanks to a fund-raising campaign supported by warm-hearted folk across Tynedale.

The Anya Potter Appeal, launched earlier this year, topped £20,000 within months when news broke that she had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukodystrophy, a degenerative disease that attacks the nervous system.

She is thought to be the only person in the country suffering from the particular strain she has, and the prognosis is that she will live only until her teens.

In a race against time, her family is now trying to cram in all the experiences and treats it can into her young life, particularly before she is condemned to a wheelchair.

Her mum, Kerry Morris, said: “We went to all the Disney parks, and she was so excited when she met Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

“She was running round with her autograph book, getting all the characters to sign it.

“The best show was the killer whales at Sea World – Anya went crazy, clapping her hands and shouting. She absolutely loved that.”

The holiday also provided something of a respite for Kerry and Anya’s father, Craig Potter, who live on Eilansgate, Hexham, and their younger daughter, Taylor.

For two fun-packed weeks they were able to put aside their daily worries and cares arising from the regular round of hospital appointments.

“Sometimes it was upsetting, though, just watching Anya,” said Kerry. “It was quite emotional for us, seeing how much she was enjoying everything.”

The couple are now facing the agonising decision whether to have 18-month-old Taylor tested for the disease – there is a one in four chance that she, too, has inherited it.

Promoting and funding research into leukodystrophy is a priority for the family, so work on the Anya Potter Appeal has continued apace.

The money will be divided between treats for Anya – a beach holiday or a Christmas trip to Lapland could be on the cards for next year – and a research institute.

Among the latest to contribute is Hexham Community Centre parents’ and toddlers’ group, which raised £1,050 during a sponsored walk round Hexham. Kerry and Anya, who are members, took part.

And Waitrose donated £800, the proceeds of a wedding fair it held last weekend.

Plans are now being put in place for a 13-mile sponsored swim at the Outer West swimming pool in Denton, Newcastle, on November 16.

This will be the latest in a number of fund-raising events organised by Craig’s colleagues at Northumbrian Water. Anya’s family and friends will be joining in, each taking their turn to swim a few lengths.

Kerry expressed her heartfelt thanks to everyone who was helping with the fund-raising campaign.

A bank account in the name of The Anya Potter Appeal has been set up at Barclays Bank in Hexham, and donations are welcome.

Following the example of the original Calendar Girls, Kerry and Anya’s grandmother, Kay Dart, along with a group of friends posed artistically for a new 2009 calendar.

Priced at £7 and being sold in aid of the Anya Potter Appeal, it can be bought by emailing: anyasappeal@googlemail.com.

First published at 13:24, Thursday, 30 October 2008
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk