GOLDENHEART pupils at Haydock High are helping raise money for schoolpal Derek McDonald who suffers from an ultra-rare medical condition known as Ondine's Curse which means the 14-year-old can't fall asleep or even become drowsy because he will stop breathing.

Derek of Birch Road, Haydock, has always to sleep while attached to a ventilator. As he gets older he needs to update the ventilator with latest improvements costing a staggering £3,500.

To help Derek out, chums at Haydock High decided last term to raise money to help him update his existing equipment and a non-uniform day has already raised £100.

Now romantic bright sparks at the school have come up with the idea of a special Valentine's Day fund-raiser.

And to raise money they are selling hearts, at 20p each, to children in school. Each heart will show the names of the buyer and his/her girlfriend/boyfriend and will be displayed in the school library on Valentine's Day. All the money raised by the big-hearted sale will go towards the updating of the ventilator.

Derek, who coyly declined to reveal if he himself will be buying a heart for someone special on Valentine's Day, told the Star: "I'd like to say a big thank-you to everyone who's helping to raise money, I just can't tell you just how much it means to me."

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