Look To The Stars News: Sophie's Gift

Stars To Attend Coma Patient's Gala

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

A gala to raise funds for charity in the name of a 17-year-old British coma patient will take place this Saturday.

Sophie Wilkinson has been in a coma since she was involved in a car accident last October, and her plight has attracted a wide range of celebrities to step forth and help raise the funds needed to provide her with care. Earlier this year her parents set up the Sophie’s Gift Fundraising Program on behalf of the Southampton Hospital Trust to raise the £250,000 (US$500,000) needed to provide Sophie with a Mobile CT Scanner. As well as receiving a video and words of encouragement from Johnny Depp, Sophie has also got support from the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Top Gear’s Richard Hammond, and Chris Tarrant.

Sophie’s parents, Andrew and Alison Wilkinson, have also established a database of celebrity voices to help wake up other coma patients. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Amanda Holden are just some of the names who have already committed to the initiative.

The Sophie’s Gift Gala Dinner will take place on the 5th July at the Macdonald Botley Park Hotel, with proceeds to go to the Southampton Hospital Charity. Tickets are still available from www.sophies-gift.com for £65 each. Attendees can expect live entertainment and a spectacular auction and gala dinner, with several celebrities – such as Chris Tarrant and Mike Osman – scheduled to make an appearance.

Johnny Depp Gives Wake Up Call To Coma Sufferer

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:33:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A 17-year-old British girl is showing the first signs of waking up from a coma, and her parents are now enlisting celebrities to help with a new charity to help others with the same problem.

Sophie Wilkinson has been in a coma since a horror car crash in November last year, and over the past few days she has started to become aware of what is going on around her, focusing on people, responding to voice commands and making vocalisations. Her parents, Andrew and Alison Wilkinson, are thrilled but say now is the crucial time to get their daughter listening to as many different voice recordings as possible to make sure she continues to improve, and have enlisted the help of several high profile celebrities to help them. And the response from famous voices has been so strong that the couple now want to start up a service for other coma sufferers.

Johnny Depp, Sharon Osbourne, and Top Gear’s Richard Hammond have all pledged their support for the initiative, and Depp also recorded a tape of physical commands for Sophie in the voice of his Pirates of the Caribbean character, Captain Jack Sparrow.

“When someone is in a coma, it’s important to find that key to unlocking them out of the coma,” said Alison Wilkinson. “It could be a smell, a sound, or a voice. In Sophie’s case we knew she was a huge fan of Johnny so we thought that if she heard his voice it may wake her. We realised what a great idea it would be to have a bank of celebrity voices reading out specific commands that the doctors have issued. No matter who a person’s favourite star is, their family could get a tape from our Wake Up bank. Nobody knows what the right key will be but anything is worth a try, and if we can make that easier for families in our situation it will be worth it.”

Andrew Wilkinson is also excited about the charity initiative idea: “We were over the moon when Johnny agreed to record a tape, and now more stars are signing up it’s fantastic. We have had lots of promises from people, but only a few have actually sent recordings. Now that Sophie is showing signs of responding to certain voices it’s the critical time to get her listening to as many different voices as possible. That is why our Wake Up charity is so important, because people in the future will not have to wait like we are at this vital time. Having all the voices in a bank will mean we can get them to the families quicker and celebrities only have to do one recording.”

The couple are also holding a special charity gala ball on July 5 at the Botley Park Hotel Golf and Country Club. Tickets can be purchased by contacting tickets@sophies-gift.com. More information can be found at www.sophies-gift.com.

Depp and Halliwell Help Teenage Coma Patients

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:07:19 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Hollywood hero Johnny Depp and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell have brought hope and joy to the families of two teenage girls in comas.

Earlier this month, Halliwell visited Jessica Knight, a 14-year-old girl who was attacked and left for dead while walking in a park near her home. Jessica suffered a stroke while fighting for her life on the surgeon’s table, and had been in a coma for six days when Halliwell paid the family a surprise visit.

“Geri sang a couple of lines of one of their songs and Jessica started moving her arms and legs,” said Jessica’s mother, Jill Walmsley.

“It was amazing. We were all in fits of giggles because we were so relieved and it was just so funny seeing her legs move to Geri’s singing. The next day, she opened her eyes for the first time.”

Jessica had planned to attend the Spice Girls concert in Manchester, but the stabbing occurred two days before the show. A family member got in touch with the band, prompting Geri to try to help.

The family of Johnny Depp fan Sophie Wilkinson is hoping for a similar result with their 17-year-old daughter. The teenager has been in a coma since an accident five months ago, when a truck collided with the car she was in.

Sophie’s father, Andrew, wrote to the Pirates of the Caribbean star, asking for help.

“We are looking for the key to wake her up, so we wrote to Johnny and he said he would do the recording in the voice of Jack Sparrow,” he said.

Depp was so moved by Mr. Wilkinson’s letter that he recorded the message, and said that he would also try to visit her in the hospital.

“After the accident, we were told she wouldn’t make it through the night, but she has fought on and we know she is still in there,” says Andrew.

“Only this week, Sophie moved her right leg which she has never done before. When we got home, my wife and I were jumping for joy.”

Look To The Stars News: Sophie's Gift

Stars To Attend Coma Patient's Gala

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