Irish photographer Don Mullan has prompted Hollywood stars Kate Winselt and Leonardo DiCaprio to donate thousands of dollars to pay for the nursing home expenses of the last survivor of the Titanic.
Mullan, who photographed the final survivor, 97-year-old Millvina Dean, at her nursing home in Southampton in England, appealed to the Hollywood stars and director James Cameron to help out.
The actors, who became household names after starring as tragic lovers Jack and Rose in 1997’s “Titanic,” were so touched by Dean's story that they donated $30,000 with Cameron.
Dean was just nine weeks old when she set sail on the maiden voyage of the doomed Titanic in 1912. She was rescued with her mother and brother while their father perished.
Dean lives in a private nursing home in Southampton, England, the very same town where the legendary ship began its fateful voyage.
But sadly, Millvina has had money troubles, and was forced to sell some of her family’s prized possessions, including a suitcase filled with clothes given to her family when they arrived in America as well as compensation letters sent to her mother from the Titanic Relief Fund.
To help Millvina in her time of need, The Millvina Fund was set up, and was officially launched in the famous Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built. The Titanic survivor’s mementos sold at the auction have since been returned to her by the person who bought them.
Winslet and DiCaprio issued a statement on their donation: "We are honored to contribute to the Millvina Fund.
"Our hope is that others will feel inspired by Millvina Dean's remarkable story of survival, and we hope that she can rest easier in knowing that her future will become more secure through this fund.”
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