Ed Sheeran helps raise £50,000 for a terminally ill girl’s parents

Ed Sheeran is helping the parents of a terminally ill girl raise £50,000 towards their legal battle to get their daughter pain relief.

Sheeran first met 11 year old Melody when he agreed to visit her in hospital in 2016, but now the singer has donated a signed guitar to her parents.

Melody suffers from an incurable disease called Rett Syndrome, which affects brain development.

The disease means Melody is unable to walk or talk, but now the parents have claimed the hospital will be withdrawing her pain relief.

Last October, Melody’s parents Karina and Nigel Driscoll were told by staff at London’s King’s College Hospital that morphine and steroids could be damaging to Melody’s liver and they were hoping to wean their daughter off the medication.

We got pictures of Melody with Ed Sheeran’s guitar we are auctioning so everyone can see why we are doing it. For this beautiful little girl right here.
We are still waiting to hear from a few people regarding the way forward. Once we know the fine details ALL WILL BE REVEALED ? pic.twitter.com/cV6jh1rzSt

— Melody In Mind (@KazzMarie) February 27, 2018

However, the parents have now launched a legal battle, which is said to be costing £50,000. Social services have also threatened to remove Melody from her parents’ custody if legal proceedings go ahead.

The parents took to Twitter to share photos of Melody with the guitar Sheeran donated and have said they are “overwhelmed” with his support.

Karina Driscoll said to The Mirror: “I’d rather Melody had one more year filled with happiness than five years of pain

“It’s only now we realise how few rights we have as parents but we won’t give up.”

I think a little lady is very happy indeed ? @edsheeran @StuartCamp pic.twitter.com/lmDPx6jqLH

— Melody In Mind (@KazzMarie) May 2, 2017

She added: “It’s so lovely he’d think of us in this way. We are going to run a raffle so all of Ed’s fans have an equal chance of winning.”

According to The Sun, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust couldn’t comment on Melody’s case but said, “all decisions taken are in our patients’ best interests”.

Recently, it was reported that Ed Sheeran is building his own chapel in the garden of his Suffolk home after proposing to his long term girlfriend.

The star was recently named the global best-selling artist of 2017, after his third album ‘÷’, released in March 2017, went multi-platinum in 36 different countries.