A loving 107-year-old left his fortune to a hospital for a scanner which may help get rid of his great-great-niece’s brain tumour.
Generous David Brackenborough was so impressed by Izzy Smith’s treatment that he bestowed £245,000 towards the CT machine.
Izzy’s family have been living in fear that the growth deep in the seven-year-old’s brain will turn from benign to aggressive.
The £800,000 scanner will give a more detailed picture of the tumour, so reducing the risk if it eventually needs to be removed by doctors at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
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Izzy’s mum Loran, 33, said David’s gift could help thousands of children as well as her daughter.
She said: “It actually lifts a weight off your shoulders. It’s heartbreaking he’s not here so he can’t realise the depth of what he’s done.”
In 2012 Izzy was diagnosed with a low-grade glioma, a non-cancerous growth, after Loran had seen unusual movements in her hand and leg.
Loran, 33, from Sheffield said: “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. It’s too dangerous for them to test the tumour and we’re not sure what, if anything, will trigger it to become aggressive – we’re constantly watching for signs.”
She said David, known by his middle name Stanley, loved little Izzy. Loran added: “Every time she visited him, she would tell him she wanted to be a doctor and he always encouraged her.
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“I am so proud of what he has done and how many people he will be able to help.”
David was a high-ranking officer in the Royal Army Service Corps during the Second World War and later worked as a pastry cook and confectioner.
Loran, also mum to Jack, nine, described him as great fun to be around and a real joker.
She said: “He had wicked sense of humour.” David died in 2017.
The gift in his will went towards a fundraising campaign for the SPECT CT machine, which the hospital bought last month.
David Vernon-Edwards, of the Children’s Hospital Charity, added: “We would like to thank David’s family and all of the generous donors from the bottom of our hearts.”
