Mocked mum’s GoFundMe campaign to take her daughters to Disney World hits £2,200
Nikki Smith relaunched her GoFundMe appeal despite a barrage of abuse from strangers who called her a scrounger
A MUM who was mocked for a fundraising appeal to take her kids to Disney World is almost half-way to her £5,000 target after defying the trolls to put the page back up.
Nikki Smith was forced to take her original GoFundMe request down after a barrage of abuse but has flooded with donations and supportive comments from strangers.
One donor called J Dooley gave £80 and said: "Don't stress about the haters... hope you make it have a great time."
Monty Sahay gave £15 and said: "To hell with all the self righteous judgemental haters who are criticizing this mom.
"If my 10-15 bucks can help make some child's dream come true then I am all for it. Take your girls to Disney and have fun."
Melinda Beckham, who donated £25, wrote on the page: "I hope you make it! My daughter is now 30 our Disney memories are precious. Wave to Mickey for me!"
By this morning 108 well-wishers had donated a total of £2,207 on Nikki's .
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Nikki, 33, had raised just £10 earlier this month when her appeal went viral and she was forced to pull it from the website.
She was bombarded with abuse and blasted as a "scrounger" and a "beggar".
One outraged man: “PAY FOR YOUR OWN HOLIDAYS!!!!” and a woman said: “Why should the rest of us scrimp and save !!! For her to scrounge !!!!!”
Shocked Nikki told The Sun Online: “Some of the comments were disgusting.
"People have been comparing me to a homeless beggar and things like that. I’m absolutely traumatised by it all.
“I don’t go on my Facebook any more because all my friends have been sharing it and I’m quite scared about my children going to school and being picked on."
The part-time hospital carer, of Coalpit Heath, Gloucs, said in her original appeal she wanted to treat her "kind, loving, caring daughters" aged ten and 12.
They are obsessed with Disney but she said it would take her a decade to save enough for the holiday, adding: "Please help me to make my daughters' dreams come true".
Later she hit back at the trolls, saying "I never meant to upset anyone".
She said as she relaunched the appeal: "I was prompted to put my page back up, I feel this to be the only way I can speak out.
“I am not a bad person. I was only thinking of my children and making them happy."
She added: "I have never used GoFundMe before so I should have looked into it more.
"I thought this section of the website was for funding hopes, dreams and wishes, and I believed GoFundMe was a chance to raise money for anything."
She said had the idea after a friend also raised also cash for a holiday, and she had seen other people raising money for boob jobs, cars and holidays.
Nikki wrote: "I love my children and my job. I'm a carer and I haven't been able to get any more hours at work. Nights are not easy to come by, I do try.
"I'm traumatised by the abuse and negativity I have received and only put this back up because a lot of people said I should.
"Online trolls are evil, I haven't hurt anyone and I was only trying to fulfil my children's dreams."
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