A DIE-HARD Rangers fan has raised more than £3,000 by taking on a five-kilometre walk every day for two months... while donning the green and white hoops of arch-rivals Celtic!
Rona Goodall, 39, of Prestonpans, described herself to the Courier as "Rangers daft" but, after she heard that one of her best friend's sons had been diagnosed with cancer, she put the Old Firm rivalry to one side.
Two-year-old Tommy Quinn, of Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, was diagnosed with a stage-four neuroblastoma in April, after his mother and father grew concerned about his wellbeing following a family holiday.
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Tommy's mum Nicole met Rona in 2006, while studying nursing at the University of the West of Scotland; the pair became good friends and have stayed in touch every since.
Nicole, 37, and Tommy's dad David, 41, took the youngster to hospital, where doctors soon found a mass in his stomach.
Following his diagnosis, Tommy has undergone a number of medical procedures and faces 10 to 12 months of chemotherapy ahead of him.
Rona, who is originally from Portobello, moved to Prestonpans in 2011 after graduating and now works at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
She saw Nicole's post on Facebook and knew that she needed to do something.
'Small sacrifice'
Rona told the Courier: "When things like this happen, there is little you can do.
"Tommy and his family are Celtic daft, and myself and my family are Rangers daft, the exact opposite.
"I just thought, the sacrifices he is making, it would be a pretty small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things for myself to do walks for charity and wear a Celtic top at the same time.
"I chose to wear the Celtic top as it is something that I normally definitely wouldn't want to do, but I just knew I wanted to do something for Tommy."
Meanwhile, Nicole told the Courier what Rona's thoughtful fundraising efforts meant to her.
"It is absolutely astounding what people will do when you get dealt a bad hand," she said.
"I haven't seen Rona in around 12 years, probably since her wedding.
"I hadn't really been on Facebook for about two months and I got a message from Rona telling me she really wanted to do something.
'I thought she was joking'
"She then messaged me at the start of the new season to tell me she had got a Celtic top and she was going to walk 5k everyday for 61 days.
"At first, I thought she was joking.
"She is Rangers daft but I genuinely do think that there was a small part of her that enjoyed wearing the green and white hoops!"
Funds are being raised for Tommy in case the family need to resort to complex procedures abroad.
If procedures carried out by the NHS are successful, the money will be returned to charities, while the family also to have a getaway in Aviemore.
Rona has raised more than £3,400; donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/tommy-quinn-themightyquinn-littlelionman
Nearly £13,000 has been raised by Tommy's family, with their goal set at £250,000.
Donations to the main fundraiser can be made at gofundme.com/f/tommys-neuroblastoma-treatment
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