Londoners rally to get man ticket to visit sick sister in Australia

 
Joshua Preston (23) - He raised 328.00 in Covent Garden, towards a flight to see his seriously ill sister in Melbourne - Pics By Martin Pitchley -
On Demand Media
Conor Sheils16 May 2013

Generous Londoners helped a man raise more than £300 in only six hours so he could fly to Australia to visit his desperately ill sister.

Josh Preston, 23, was told Georgie, 14, had been taken to intensive care in Melbourne with a life-threatening diabetic condition.

The computer engineer, from Peckham, feared she might die but was unable to afford the £985 flight.

He took to the streets with a sign appealing for help and giving a website address where people could donate. In six hours at Covent Garden and outside Liverpool Street station, he raised more than £300 from passers-by.

He said: “I’ve lived in London for two years and never seen anything like this, it’s overwhelming. I’ve always thought London was such a cold city. It warms my heart that people have been so kind. People from all walks of life helped out in whatever way they could.”

Georgie fell ill with diabetic acidosis, a highly dangerous complication of diabetes caused by a lack of insulin in the body.

“When my mum called me at 11am I didn’t know what to do,” said Mr Preston. “I just had this idea and by 3pm I was set up in Covent Garden. I stayed there for three hours, and then I set up outside Liverpool street station today. Some people were suspicious at first and stopped to check the website, but once they saw that it was genuine most were more than happy to help out.

“A man in a suit handed me a business card for a lift from the airport when I land in Melbourne. It completely changes how I feel about London.”He has now raised the price of the ticket, receiving the rest of the cash from family and friends contacted via social media, and is planning to fly out tomorrow evening. Georgie was still in intensive care yesterday.

Mr Preston’s family moved to Australia last year while he stayed to pursue a career in IT.

He said: “My family aren’t rich and there is no way I could have done this without the kindness of strangers. I can’t thank people enough.” He plans to commemorate the good deeds of Londoners by creating an online video tribute in the coming weeks: “I made a note of everybody’s name and all the people who stopped to help, and I want to thank them personally.

“This has changed my outlook on life and I will definitely be keener to help people on the streets in future. It is simply amazing.”

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