Midlands Vaping host a charity event for a friend in need
Two of the most consistent traits we ’ ve seen from the vaping community across the nation are generosity and mutual support .
On June 10 , Midlands Vaping hosted a very special event . Charity Begins at Ohm was a fundraiser for Andrew Williams , better known to friends as Drew . Drew was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February , undergoing surgery to relieve pressure shortly after .
A hardworking husband and father , Drew would be put out of work for an estimated 6-12 weeks , and was naturally concerned about the financial stability of his family and weathering the coming uncertainty .
Kirsty and Mike of Midlands Vaping kindly gave us an interview about this special day , and Drew ’ s situation .
“ Drew ’ s been a friend to the company and a faithful customer for years ,” says Kirsty . “ It ’ s the least we could do , he ’ s a lovely person and deserves all the support he can get .”
“ Drew had his operation on Valentine ’ s Day ,” says Mike . “ There was some pressure on the brain from the front ; the result of water building up . Doctors also discovered a growth on the stem of his brain . There will be stressful times ahead , and stressful costs . We wanted to help out .” Midlands Vaping set up a JustGiving page for donations , and set about putting together a live event .
Drew laid out the details of his situation , and the coming fundraiser on a Facebook video , published on June 8 via the Charity Begins at Ohm page ,
“ Since getting the operation , I ’ ve had another MRI scan . On the 8th of May , I was called into the hospital on the 30th where I spoke to my consultant who told me that the tumour had grown , and they weren ’ t sure about how fierce it was going to be . They ’ ll be doing a biopsy of the tumour . I ’ ll have to talk about radiotherapy as well , and potentially chemo , depending on the biopsy results .”
Drew was almost overwhelmed by the kindness of his friends and supporters .
“ All the guys at Midlands Vaping have gone out of their way to set this up . We absolutely smashed the donations goal out of the park . The guys in the vape community have showed everybody that they ’ re just some of the best people in the world . I can ’ t even say how much they ’ ve helped me .”
The charity event took place at the Midlands Vaping headquarters in Dudley and was an overwhelming success . Visitors enjoyed a raffle , with all the prizes an enthusiastic vaper could hope for , and a charity auction . The day was livestreamed on Facebook . Drew ’ s mother alone raised £ 800 , having all her shoulderlength hair cut off during the livestream .
“ We were amazed ,” says Mike . “ There were some crazy donations coming in . We saw some juices selling for £ 100 .” Andrew Johnson , the main fundraiser , described himself as “ a humble vape shop owner trying to rally troops together and make a difference to Andy ’ s current life situation by helping lift the financial burden he has unwillingly found himself in . This will assist his family by relieving the stress of not having a salary .” And rally the troops he did . When all was said and done , the JustGiving page hit 256 % of its target : £ 5,125 what began as a £ 2,000 goal .
Drew ’ s wife Toni thanked all involved on the JustGiving page , describing herself as “ seriously overwhelmed and speechless ,” and that the family ’ s “ emotions have run high because of so many kind , generous and giving people there are in Andy ’ s life . We will be forever grateful and one day we will be able to give back .”
VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE ISSUE 12 85