A WICHENFORD teenage lymphoma patient and his mum have joined forces with blood cancer research charity Bloodwise to host the first ever Cob House Country Walk.
The event will be held for the first time on Saturday, September 2 and raise money for better treatments and cures for the disease.
Dan Pritchard, 19, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in September 2014 aged just 16-years-old., just before starting his first year of sixth form.
Initially misdiagnosed, it was soon discovered that Dan had a nine centimetre cubic mass in his chest which was blocking his airway and impeding his heart and lungs.
Dan says: “Being told I had blood cancer came as a complete shock not just to myself but also to my friends and family around me.
“It is not fully put into perspective how much of a life changing, serious disease this is until yourself or someone close to you is diagnosed.”
Dan’s mum, Julie said: “Before Dan was diagnosed with lymphoma, over the summer holidays, he became increasingly breathless and struggled to breathe.
“Fearing his airway could collapse completely, doctors transferred him to Heartlands Hospital where he was placed under sedation on the intensive care ward for two days.
“He was eventually well enough to start chemotherapy, followed by an intensive course of radiotherapy.
“The treatment really knocked him about, although he did manage to make it into school intermittently.
“His treatment finished in May 2015 and since then he has been working hard to catch up on his studies, thankfully gaining his much sought after place at university to study engineering in September 2016.
“We’re delighted to say that Dan has also just been given his two year all clear from his doctors, which we couldn’t be happier about.”
The Cob House Country Walk for Bloodwise is a 4.5 and 10.5 mile walk through the villages of Wichenford and Martley, starting and finishing at Cob House Country Park.
Julie added: “Any money you can help to raise by completing the Cob House Country Walk for Bloodwise will go towards saving people just like my son, Dan.
“It is thanks to the research that Bloodwise invests in that he is still here with us today.”
Louise Dawson, regional fund-raiser for Bloodwise in the Midlands says: “Stories like Dan’s shows just how important research into blood cancers is and the vital need to keep funding this life-saving work.
“The walk is open to all ages and abilities and all walkers will receive a voucher for a delicious full English breakfast at the May Fly Café as part of their entry fee.”
Visit www.bloodwise.org.uk/cob-house-country-walk for more information.
