Scots MMA star Stevie Ray is fundraising to help pay for his daughter's brain surgery after she was diagnosed with Frontal Lobe Epilepsy, as well as Cortical dysplasia type 2. Myla, seven, is becoming drug intolerant and is currently at risk of dying in her sleep.
Former UFC fighter Stevie launched the Go Fund Me page with wife Natalie days ago in a desperate bid to pay for private surgery due to a long NHS waiting list. Private surgery would remove part of Myla's brain near the frontal love.
Nearly 3,000 people have donated to the fundraising page which has smashed the £100,000 target and is currently sitting at £110,256. Among the contributors are Outlander star Sam Heughan, who donated £1,000, and UFC president Dana White, gave £10,000, The Daily Star reports,
The Professional Fighters League donated a massive £15,000, with Ray's fellow Scottish fighters Paul Craig and Chris Duncan also adding to the fundraiser. Other MMA fighters and media members to donate include Ariel Helwani, Laura Sanko, Shane Burgos and Kayla Harrison with the fighting community rallying in support.
Back in November, Ray made it to the final of the 2022 PFL Lightweight Tournament but missed out on a £810,000 payday in a defeat to Canada's Olivier Aubin-Mercier. The 33-year-old will return to the 2023 tournament on April 14 as he takes on Natan Schulte, having beaten former UFC champion Anthony Pettis twice on his route to the final last year.
Speaking to The Mirror, Ray said that day-to-day life has been increasingly difficult for the second youngest of his four children, explaining what surgery would entail. He said: "They will remove part of her brain in the surgery, from seeing it on the MRI it looked like the size of a golf ball.
"Obviously that comes with potential consequences, I think doctors said there's a three per cent chance she can die during the surgery and a seven per cent chance she can become paralysed, because they are operating close to the frontal lobe. It's a lot to take in."
You can help raise money for Myla's brain surgery by donating to the fundraiser here
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