MEMBERS of a Teddington diet club hope to raise thousands of pounds to help pay for life-saving treatment for their friend's son.
Amy Francis, a member of the Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Club, was crowned slimmer of the year in 2007 and became a cover girl for the club's magazine, after losing more than nine stones.
Soon after, she became pregnant and gave birth to Joshua in May 2008. But on Christmas Eve last year doctors discovered Joshua had stage four neuroblastoma, a rare and often fatal childhood cancer.
Since then, the toddler has undergone high dose chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and a bone marrow and stem cell harvest and transplant.
Despite the best efforts of Great Ormond Street Hospital, the chances of Joshua suffering a relapse are as high as 80 per cent.
Amy and her husband, Stephen, are currently in New York with 17-month-old Joshua, where he is receiving the second stage in a series of an antibody treatment which could boost his chances of survival.
The treatment is only available in America and could cost up to £300,000. Friends and family have been fundraising but diet club leader Lorna Angus said members of the club, which meets at Stanley Junior School, wanted to help out.
So 50 of the slimmers organised a sponsored aerobathon at the White House Community Centre, in Hampton, on Sunday.
Lorna said: "The event was amazing. The positive energy from all the ladies taking part made a two and a quarter hour aerobic event feel like just 20 minutes!
"We are all determined to raise lots of sponsorship money to help Amy and her family meet their fundraising target."
To donate online visit www.justgiving.com/joshuasaerobathon .
