Hi, my name is Erika Bristow and I am raising funds to support a charity very close to my heart. The charity RedDuck was founded by my sister after the tragic loss of her son, Raffy Holliday.

On the 5th September , myself, colleagues and others will be taking part in a 26-mile hike, starting in Dover, walking a plotted trail through St Margarets Bay, Kingsdown, Deal, Sandwich and back to Deal ending at The Smugglers Record Shop (for celebratory pints).

All donations are hugely appreciated and will help children in palliative care and support for their families.

If you would like to join in on the walk please contact me (Erika Bristow), or you can contact Red Duck directly via website - www.redduckcampaign.com, or via the Instagram page - redduck_hhv6.

Thank you so much!

Raffy's story:

Raphael Atlas Holliday, aka Raffy, was born 12th June 2019- all 9lb 11oz of him and total perfection.

Raffy’s plight began 22nd May 2020, when he was admitted, during Covid, to our local hospital with a temperature and some small bruising on his arm and sole of his foot. Tests were carried out and devastatingly the following day, was blue lighted to GOSH. We had been told he had leukaemia. After further tests and 4 days later, we were told he had a rare type of leukaemia; MPAL- mixed phenotype acute leukaemia b-myeloid, to be precise.

Raffy underwent chemotherapy, immunotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy. On September 15thm Raffy was in full remission. The immunotherapy he had received was ordinarily used for ALL leukaemia and with Raffy’s excellent response to it- clearing two of the three components of his leukaemia completely, with the third at 0.001% , he became the pioneer for MPAL treatment protocol internationally.

Raffy was readmitted for his bone marrow transplant 21st September 2020. He received donor cells from a 10/10 unrelated match. This is the story of his journey and 2 year battle with HHV6, which led to a traumatic decline and his eventual death from encephalitis.

RedDuck has been established in his memory, named lovingly after his favourite animal and colour.

Aims and objectives:

The concept of RedDuck was born the day before Raffy’s passing. We aim to elevate the status of HHV6 in immunocompromised patients and change outdated protocols regarding testing and monitoring of this virus. It is the most commonly reactivated virus in a transplant setting and for T cell depleted individuals, it can be life threatening. We endeavour to implement this through our campaigning, both in person and online.

RedDuck also champions inclusivity and supports children and their families who have no choice but to live their lives within the confines of a hospital. We hope to bring alternative treatments to children in palliative care, raising funds for holistic treatments and sensory equipment that may bring comfort during the final stages of life.

We hope to inform families, educate the next generation and raise awareness with RedDuck.