There have been a significant number of donations recently, some especially generous and even some regular donators, and we are very grateful to everyone that has donated. Every donation helps towards the mounting cost of Ellis' surgery both past and future. This update is to provide information on the money raised so far and also to let everyone know how Ellis is doing.

This photo was taken a few days ago and as you can see he has completely healed and that terrible droop has disapeared from the lower eyelid. It's almost time to start thinking about contacting Dr Waner and Dr Fay to find out possible surgery dates in February 2008 and to see if Dr Fay will also be available again this time. We hope that Dr Fay will be attending Berlin in February so that we can get the work on Ellis' upper eyelid out of the way at the same time as his ear, nose and lips. We will add another update when we have more details.

The response to our fund raising has been amazing and we are overwhelmed by the generosity and good wishes that we receive. It wasn't an easy decision to start fund raising but it has been obvious from the response, that people really do want to help ensure that Ellis continues to receive the best treatment.

We sold the first item on eBay at the beginning of October 2007 and so far have raised £469.60 through The Ellis Fund account. With the new year well under way we have once again started listing items, so if you're looking for a bargain take a look. All items are being generously donated by Intamac employees and friends so there is quite a mixture. We should be listing even more items over the next few weeks.

Thanks to people donating directly to The Ellis Fund we have also raised £1,037.37 which together with the eBay sales means we have raised enough to cover the cost of the non-surgical hospital fees incurred in December 2007!

Lastly, through the Simple Fund Raising click-through site we have so far earned £17.68 in commission. This is a great way to help us because it raises money for Ellis at no cost to you. If you use this website when shopping on-line, we receive a small amount based on your spending which is given directly by the retailer and does not add anything to the cost of the items you buy.

We also thought it might be useful to tell you the full cost of each trip to date so that you can see how the donations are helping Ellis and our family:

1st Trip - Surgery - February 2005 - £10,980
2nd Trip - Surgery - June 2005 - £14,750
3rd Trip - Consultation - November 2005 - £2,440
4th Trip - Surgery - December 2007 - £14,995
Total cost to date - £43,165

Thank you all once again for your support, kindness and donations.