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Students at Ormiston Forge Academy have swapped their uniforms for ‘something red’ on the last day of term and raised a huge amount of money for a blood cancer charity.
The day was inspired by the work that member of staff Kris Griffin has been doing in trying to raise £10,000 over 12 months for Leukaemia Care, a charity that he is a trustee of. Mr Griffin was diagnosed with chronic myloid leukaemia (CML) 10 years ago. In recent weeks he has spoken at assemblies and been interviewed by student council. Today he greeted students as they arrived at the academy with a collecting bucket for donations resulting in a grand total of £780 being donated to the #Kris10 appeal.
Leukaemia Care is a national blood cancer support charity based in Worcester. They are dedicated to ensuring that anyone affected by blood cancer receives the right information, advice and support.
A spokesperson for Leukaemia Care said: “A diagnosis of a blood cancer can have a huge impact on someone emotionally, as well as physically. We understand that feelings of shock, anger and loneliness are all common at the time of diagnosis, during treatment and recovery and having someone to talk to, as well as the right information available, can be a huge comfort.
“We not only support patients but carers and families too who can often carry a lot of the emotional strain when someone they love is diagnosed with a blood cancer.”
After being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2008 Kris is lucky; he continues to take a medication called dasatinib every morning to keep the disease at bay. Inspired by the bravery of patients around him and a determination to ensure that no patient is ever left behind, he became a trustee for Leukaemia Care. Kris has raised several thousand pounds over the last 10 years but this is his biggest challenge yet. With a ten-mile walk planned and a special concert at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, he is hoping to smash his target by February 2019.
Kris said: “Ten years ago when I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) I wasn’t sure if I was going to live to 33 and now ten years later, I’m still here age 43; pretty good at maths too!
“To celebrate the ten years since diagnosis, I’ve set myself a challenge to raise £10,000 for Leukaemia Care. The money will be spent training more GPs on the signs and symptoms of blood cancer. The money that Forge students have raised today will save lives. I’m touched and humbled that the Forge family have come together to support me today and I’m very proud of everyone involved.”