A TAKEAWAY owner is raising money for a tragic three-year-old who was discovered by the body of his dead mother.
Mason Martin was alone with 28-year-old Lydia MacDonald when she died of an asthma attack at their home in Perth last month.
He was trapped in the property for two days until concerned friends raised the alarm and police paid a visit.
Mason has since been in the care of his grandparents, and now a local takeaway owner has started a fundraising campaign to set up a trust fund for the youngster.
Pete Chan, 44, who runs the China China takeaway in St Leonard’s Bridge in Perth, hopes to raise enough cash to buy Christmas and birthday presents and “bring some joy” back into the young boy’s life.
“It’s a terribly sad story and to bring some joy into Mason’s life through these fundraising efforts is the least he deserves,” Pete said.
“Hopefully we can bring some sunshine to this little person’s life, having appreciated how much he has suffered before and what he will have to be told as he begins to grow older.
“Perth is only a small place, and something like this will affect the whole community, it is amazing to see how everyone comes together in a situation such as this.”
Lydia, who had suffered from asthma from a young age, was a regular customer at the takeaway.
Pete has had several successful fundraising campaigns in the past, and prior experience includes him donning a batman cape to deliver free chinese food to emergency workers.
He hopes his fundraising efforts will help Mason through these difficult years in his life and help contribute to research that might prevent asthma attacks like this happening in the future.
Half of the money donated will go towards the Asthma Research charity, which works to stop attacks and find a cure for the condition.
Pete added: “There have been all these different theories about how long Mason was left with his mother after she had passed.
Kindness
“He is only three and it would have been very tough for him to have gone through. It’s nice we are able to do something for the boy.”
Linda MacDonald, Lydia’s mother, publicly thanked Pete on social media for the “beautiful thing” he is doing for her grandson.
She wrote: “I would like to thank Pete Chan for his love and kindness to my grandson. It came as a huge surprise to my family.
“It is a beautiful thing to do for him and will be much appreciated by wee Mason.”
Following her death Ron MacDonald, Lydia’s father, spoke of how she doted on her son.
He said: ‘Lydia was a very funny and caring person who’d do anything for anyone. She was very happy-go-lucky and lived life to the full.
‘She absolutely adored Mason to bits and was a wonderful mum to him. He was her entire life. Everything she did was for him.’
