Wolverhampton family taken to safety from Oklahoma tornado
A family from Wolverhampton were among those that had to be taken to safety when the deadly tornado hit Oklahoma, it has emerged.
Advertising worker Sue Bera, her daughter Samantha and granddaughter Shanay Lewis, from Penn, have been in the US since last month for the 12-year-old can undergo treatment for a brain tumour.
They have been staying in a hotel in Quail Springs , around 20 miles from where the tornado hit.
At least 24 people are known to have died in the disaster including nine children who were killed as they sheltered in a school.
Today Mrs Bera's son Mark revealed he had managed to speak to the trio via Skype and they had said they were fine.
The 32-year-old said: "They are all okay, they said some alarms went off and they had to be moved down to a secure location.
"I didn't know anything about it until I was phoned and told to watch the news."
Mr Bera added that Shanay started her treatment about two weeks ago and said it was going 'well' so far.
He said they were due to remain there until the middle of next month when Shanay would complete her treatment.
She has undergone eight operations on the growth but it has recently returned.
Doctors are not willing to carry out futher surgery so the NHS is paying for her to receive specialist proton therapy in America. The procedure involves a high energy beam of protons rather than high energy X-rays to deliver a dose of radiotherapy to reduce the tumour.
Her family have been appealing for help to cover the cost of their stay and have received more than £4,500 including a donation of £1,000 from the Coseley-based Balls To Cancer charity.
Shanay, a pupil at Highfields School, in Penn, first collapsed at home with a seizure two years ago.
After being rushed to Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital a scan showed up the tumour.
Before she left for the US staff at Wow Hair & Beauty, in Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, treated her to beauty treatments.
