WATCH: Together for Tyler campaign launched

The Chichester Observer and the Littlehampton Gazettejoined forces with Spirit FM to organise Together for Tyler.

Tyler Murphy, 20, from Barnham, has a brain tumour and over the last 18 months has become really unwell.

Together for Tyler kicks off a community drive to help fund much-needed adaptations to his home to meet his current and future needs.

Mum Jan Ellis said: “It would be a game-changer.

“Tyler’s had such a difficult journey, he’s lost all of his teenage years and now we just want to give him his twenties.”

Groups of friends, businesses and teams are being urged to put on their own fundraising events to help Tyler and his family.

Alternatively, anyone people can make a donation to the Together for Tyler appeal.

Together for Tyler campaign

Giving Tyler a chance of his twenties is the message behind our campaign for a young man who has helped so many through his charity Tyler’s Trust but now needs some help himself.

Jan said: “Tyler had a stroke in January 2016 which was totally unexpected. Nobody could have foreseen it would happen, it was awful.

“He had to go to intensive care at Southampton and it’s caused a lot of additional difficulties that he didn’t have.

“As if that wasn’t bad enough the tumour grew.

“Tyler being Tyler he said no, I’m not done, I’m having the operation, which he did.

“It will take time to know how effective that’s been, but as it stands he’s had another operation to reduce the tremor that was affecting him, but it has left him completely numb on the left.”

Tyler now needs a wheelchair and because he can’t get up the stairs to his bedroom he’s been forced to sleep in a makeshift bed in the living room of his Barnham home.

The great news is that Arun District Council has approved the family for much-needed adaptations to their home.

Arun has approved a grant to pay for some of the cost of building Tyler a downstairs bedroom and wetroom but the family has to raise around £30,000, a figure beyond them.

So Spirit and the Observer have jointly launched Together for Tyler to raise the cash to give brave Tyler and his family the home they need.

Speaking about what it would mean to raise the money, he said: “It basically gives me my entire independence back and I believe it would change my life because it would be the next step in my big journey so far.”

Tyler’s Trust

Throughout his battle with his illness, Tyler has quite incredibly runs his hugely successful charity, Tyler’s Trust, which has provided gift boxes and comfort to huge amounts of other sick youngsters while in hospital.

It started when Tyler was undergoing radiotherapy and he met two children also having treatment.

Compelled to help them, he bought them each a comic and toy, and such was their reaction it proved the trigger for Tyler’s Trust.

Aiming to ‘bring a little sunshine’ into the lives of children in hospital with life-threatening conditions, the charity provides each child and their siblings a box full of goodies to bring a smile to their faces.

Radio presenter Fearne Cotton is a patron of the charity which grows from strength to strength.

Despite his many battles and 26 major operations, Tyler continues to put his efforts into Tyler’s Trust, this week expressing his great pride at being able to help so many.

How you can get involved

Observer, Gazette and Spirit FM staff are already planning events to raise funds for our campaign but to be successful we need your help.

We want individuals, work colleagues and clubs to put on their own fundraisers.

It doesn’t matter how much you raise – every penny will help this brave young man.

Email [email protected] with your ideas, or you can donate online at https://www.gofundme.com/Tylersaccomodation

Jan added: “He’s a young man who needs his independence, these adaptations will allow him to develop new friendships and will help him go back to college.”