Alice's Bucket List: dying girl's blog is internet hit

Alice Pyne, 15, was mentioned in prime minister's questions when her MP raised issue of bone marrow donor list


Alice Pyne who has been diagnosed with cancer and has written a 'bucket list' of her goals. Photograph: London Media

People from around the world have responded to a dying teenager's "bucket list", after she was mentioned during prime minister's questions on Wednesday. Alice Pyne has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and may have weeks to live. Top of her wish list is for people to sign up to be bone marrow donors, and on Wednesday her MP, John Woodcock, raised the issue during prime minister's questions, raising awareness of Pyne and her plight.

The 15-year-old, from Ulverston in Cumbria, only started her blog on Monday, but since being discussed in parliament the site has attracted thousands of comments. On Twitter, #alicebucketlist was the top trending term on Thursday morning, and the third most discussed term in the world.

"I'm excited about the things I am going to be doing, but the biggest thing has to be all the people who are joining bone marrow donation schemes because of me," Pyne wrote in response to the surge on Wednesday.

Pyne lists 17 to-do items on her blog, but adds that these are only "some of my bucket list" – a reference apparently taken from the 2007 film The Bucket List, in which two terminally ill men, played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, go on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they "kick the bucket".

In addition to "make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor", Pyne logs many wishes typical of a 15-year-old – to have a photoshoot with her sister and friends, to host a private cinema party "for me and my BFFs", to meet Take That and to "go to Cadbury World and eat loads of chocolate".

Pyne notes that she is unable to fulfil a couple of her wishes now – to travel to Kenya, and to be a dolphin trainer – as she says she cannot travel outside the UK.

"After four years, 15-year-old Alice Pyne in my constituency is losing her battle against cancer," Woodcock, Labour MP for Barrow and Furness, told David Cameron on Wednesday, adding, "At the top of [her wish] list is a call to make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor, so will he work with the leader of the opposition and I to address why too few people are currently on this life-saving register?"

Cameron said he "will certainly do that. I am sorry to hear about the situation facing Alice and what she's going through, and our thoughts go out to her and her family," he added.

In the comments beneath Pyne's blog posts the word "inspiration" features heavily. "This is soo Inspirational," wrote Christine. "And i am soo sorry to hear about it getting worse. Your such an inspiration to all, and i wish luck and happiness with you just now."

An anonymous poster wrote: "What a wonderful, wonderful blog! I absolutely love it and cannot wait to read about all of your adventures. You are such an inspiration! Sending you and your family lots of love from the United States xx "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/09/alices-bucket-list-blog-internet


What a brave girl, a true inspiration to all x

Sadly, she's not the only girl of this age, dying from Cancer!

Things like Cancer Research, should be funded by the Tax Payer, but of course, we're told that we "can't afford" to fund the research, instead, we prefer to give £12 BILLION away a year in "Foreign Aid" instead!