Ultra-Marathon In Aid Of The Red Duck Campaign

Hi, my name is Jack Hansell & I'm running the Pilgrims Way Challenge raising funds for the Red Duck Campaign. It's a two-day, 66-mile ultra marathon over the legendary North Downs Way.

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 15th we found out 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.

https://redduckcampaign.com

https://www.xnrg.co.uk/events/pilgrim-challenge#