Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a sick little girl’s day, congratulating the young lass for raising money to fight her disease, the Greenock Telegraph is reporting.
12-year-old Erin Stuart has been suffering her entire life from Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that, according to the Mayo Clinic , can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and even malnutrition.
But Erin hasn’t let her diagnosis stop her. The young lady, a first-year student at St. Stephen’s High School, is also described as a “keen footballer” — which is to say, an enthusiastic soccer player — with a local club, for which she’s even won awards.
However, when her English class assigned her a project, she decided to take things a step further than just giving a presentation on inflammatory bowel disease — though she did that as well. She decided to raise awareness, and money, to help combat the painful illness.
To that end, she climbed Scotland’s Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles (4,411 feet). With the help of her friends and family, she also raised £5,000 (about $6,350) for the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK, to put towards research of the disease.
“I think my teacher was impressed.”
One thing she failed to get — until now, that is — was recognition from her two favorite Royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Meghan Markle ‘bans Prince Harry drinking booze and tea in 2019 health kick’ https://t.co/QWGlCFILFz pic.twitter.com/63ZtLSLmr0
— The Sun (@TheSun) December 30, 2018
With the help of her mom, Stuart sent a letter, detailing her accomplishments, to Kensington Palace, and waited for a response. And waited, and waited. Her mom says the young lady started to get discouraged.
“Every week after she sent it she kept asking if any letters had come through the door and as time went on she became a bit disheartened.”
Eventually, however, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex came through. This week, the young lady received a bit of literal royal mail in the form of a letter from Meghan and Harry. Or, their head of general correspondence, Claudia Spens. And unlike a run-of-the-mill postcard or letter that might obliquely thank the young lass for her correspondence, this one actually referenced her work, and that the Royals were impressed.
“Their Royal Highnesses were very impressed to hear that you have raised over £5,000 to help combat this cruel disease and congratulate you on climbing Ben Nevis, a huge challenge for anyone to overcome… The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asked me to send you their warmest thanks and very best wishes for the future.”
Even though Erin didn’t hear directly from Harry and Meghan, their response is more than good enough for the 12-year-old, says her mom.
“She was absolutely over-the-moon to receive the letter.”
