We’ve dropped the price of the tickets to £5 and I can promise an incredible evening of music at the most famous music venue in the world. It’s headlined by local band The Ambition who are currently being championed by the BBC. The lineup now includes the amazing Rachael Hawnt who was a semi-finalist on the BBC TV show All Together Now.
Championed by BBC Introducing in Merseyside, The Ambition have been announced as the headline act for a Cavern Club fundraiser that is set to raise thousands for a national blood cancer charity.
The band won ITV’s This Morning’s best unsigned artist competition in 2016 and have been lauded by celebrities such as Philip Schofield and more recently, their latest single ‘Thirty Thousand Feet’ grabbed the attention of Warner Music who have added them to their Topsify playlists.
Kris was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML), a form of blood cancer, at the age of 32.
Kris said, “After visiting my GP with symptoms such as night sweats and pain in my hip, a blood test went on to reveal a leukaemia diagnosis which had me asking the question, ‘Am I going to die?’
“When you’re told you have a leukaemia, or a blood cancer, or some other terrible disease, you never forget what being told feels like. There’s a ringing in the ears, everything just drains out of you. You just feel like you’ve been punched, really hard, but you feel no pain.
“Now ten years on, I’m a marketing expert, blood cancer charity trustee and a passionate campaigner working with fellow leukaemia patients across the world seeking access to treatment. I’m also a seasoned public speaker, I recently spoke at a training day for 40 West Midlands GPs to help them understand what a blood cancer diagnosis feels like from a patient perspective.”
The Cavern Club have kindly gifted the venue to Kris to help him reach his £10,000 fundraising goal. The gig is part of a year-long #Kris10 campaign.
Kris said, “As a huge fan of The Beatles, I was delighted when the Cavern agreed to let me use their venue for the night. I’m absolutely chuffed that another Liverpool band have agreed to headline the event – The Ambition are a band to watch out for.”
Kris’ gig is also being supported by vocal coach CeCe Sammy through her programme, The Power of Muzik. Artists from The Power of Muzik will form the rest of the bill which will be announced at a later date.
The Ambition are a Liverpool based pop group, they are inspired by acts such as The Vamps, The 1975, The Weeknd and Coldplay to name a few. Their debut single “THIRTY THOUSAND FEET” dropped on 31st August 2018 and has been well received. They have been invited into BBC Introducing 20th October 2018 to perform their new single live and to chat about their record.
Leukaemia Care is a national blood cancer support charity. They are dedicated to ensuring that anyone affected by blood cancer receives the right information, advice and support.
It’s two weeks until the walk. We’re approaching 30 sign-ups for the day with more promises to come through. If each individual/family is able to raise £100 in sponsorship then we could raise nearly £2,000 toward the £10,000 total.
Easier said than done, right? Look, this fundraising lark is much more difficult than I could ever have imagined. Seriously, it’s caused sleepless nights. But it was never meant to be easy. £100 raised in sponsorship, £50, £25, whatever, is money that we have to work hard at. We have to ask friends, colleagues, family and tap into your networks. Without your support, we won’t ever hit that big target.
I’ve been living with leukaemia for 10 years and I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve been through things that have been tough both mentally and physically. What I’ve learnt is that there are brilliant people out there diagnosing, treating and supporting people with the devastating diagnosis of a blood cancer. The money raised will be going right back into the system and ensure that we are even better at diagnosing and supporting.
I know it’s a pain and I recognise that asking for a charitable donation or sponsorship is completely awkward. There are 650 people diagnosed every year with my leukaemia (CML). Blood cancer is the third biggest cancer killer behind lung and bowel cancer. That moment of awkwardness could potentially save a life. That’s why I’m writing this and gritting my teeth through the awkwardness.
A picturesque canal walk set to raise funds for a Kidderminster man’s year of fundraising is looking for people of all ages to take part.
Kris Griffin is taking on a year of fundraising in celebration of reaching his 10-year anniversary since being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). All proceeds raised will be donated to Leukaemia Care, a national charity based in Worcester who support anyone affected by a blood cancer diagnosis.
The canal walk has been organised by Kris’ wife, Kelly Griffin, and will start and end at the Anchor Inn Pub on the Diglis Docks, with walkers following the 10-mile scenic route towards Droitwich and back again.
Kris said, “What can be better than a brisk 10-mile walk around the waterways of Worcestershire on a Sunday afternoon? The money we are raising is going to save lives and I’m sure we’ll have a blast doing it.
“The support that we’ve received so far has been really encouraging but we need more walkers, so dust off those walking shoes and join us.”
So far, Kris has raised over £4,000 of his £10,000 target, and with the walk coinciding with September’s Blood Cancer Awareness Month, he hopes to get ever closer to his goal whilst raising awareness of leukaemia. For the past two years, the charity has marked Blood Cancer Awareness Month with a month long #SpotLeukaemia campaign to highlight the signs and symptoms of leukaemia.
The walk will take place on Sunday 23rd September at 11am. Anyone wishing to take part in the walk can request a sponsorship form from Leukaemia Care by calling 01905 755 977 or emailing fundraising@leukaemiacare.org.uk.
Kris Griffin is taking on a year of fundraising in celebration of reaching his 10-year anniversary since being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). All proceeds raised will be donated to Leukaemia Care, a national charity based in Worcester who supports anyone affected by a blood cancer diagnosis.
Kris said, “As well as being a huge cricket supporter, my son Luca plays at the club, so I’m delighted that Kidderminster Cricket Club is supporting my campaign to raise £10,000 for Leukaemia Care.
“The support I’ve received from people across Wyre Forest has been incredible and I know that this will be a great night of music that everyone will enjoy.
“There’s a long way to go to reach that magic £10k mark but we’ve started strong; every penny will make a difference and save lives. It really is that important.”
So far, Kris has raised over £1,600 of his £10,000 target and hopes a night of music from The Lady and the Sax will help him on his way to his ambitious target. The funds raised from tickets sales will be split 50/50 between Leukaemia Care and Kidderminster Cricket Club Juniors.
The event will take place on Friday 29th June and starts at 8:30pm. Tickets are £8 and can be purchased at the club or by calling 07841 502535.
I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) in 2008, aged 32, after visiting my GP with symptoms such as night sweats and pain in my hip. A blood test went on to reveal a leukaemia diagnosis which had me asking the question, “Am I going to die?”
When you’re told you have a leukaemia, or a blood cancer, or some other terrible disease, you never forget what being told feels like. There’s a ringing in the ears, everything just drains out of you. You just feel like you’ve been punched, really hard, but you feel no pain.
Now ten years on, I’m a marketing expert, blood cancer charity trustee and a passionate campaigner working with fellow leukaemia patients across the world seeking access to treatment. I’m also a seasoned public speaker, I recently spoke at a training day for 40 West Midlands GPs to help them understand what a blood cancer diagnosis feels like from a patient perspective.
The diagnosis made a huge difference to my life. Clearly, I could do without it, but it has made me a better person, I’ve no doubt about that. It’s made me recognise the important things in life.
To celebrate ten years since diagnosis, I’ve set myself a challenge to raise £10,000 for Leukaemia Care, the Worcestershire-based national charity that I’m a trustee of. I am also donating 10 days of my time to help support the charity, from marketing support to holding live webinars for anyone affected by a blood cancer diagnosis.
One of my key events in this year of fundraising will include a gig which is being held at the Cavern Club in Liverpool on 1st November 2018. As a huge Beatles fan, I was delighted when the Cavern Club gifted the space to hold the fundraising event. Other fundraising ideas include a 10-mile walk and donating my birthday to the charity in lieu of presents.
Nicole Scully, fundraising manager for Leukaemia Care said, “Kris is a fantastic example of somebody who is living well with a blood cancer. Kris is using his own strength to support others who sadly may not be living as well as he is. His fundraising pledge is a huge boost to the charity and will enable us to train more GPs about the signs and symptoms of blood cancer, support haematology nurses and continue to fund our support services for patients. We’re really excited to see how Kris’ year pans out.”
Tickets for my charity gig in Liverpool are now available through the Cavern Club website http://bit.ly/CavernClubKris10.
To follow my story and to find out more about the fundraising, search online using the hashtag #Kris10, follow Leukaemia Care on social media or visit the JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kris10.
The 2017 patient survey from Leukaemia CARE is now live and they need your help to improve the experience of blood cancer patients!
In 2016, Leukaemia CARE partnered with Quality Health to develop the 2016 blood cancer patient experience survey. 2,519 patients shared their experience of blood cancer from diagnosis through to living with and beyond cancer.
This survey has helped to provide evidence to the extent of issues faced by blood cancer patients in the UK and inform the work at Leukaemia CARE. The leukaemia-specific findings and subsequent recommendations for improvements were highlighted in the ‘Living with Leukaemia’ report – those relating to diagnosis were used to inform the #SpotLeukaemia campaign for blood cancer awareness month.
This year Leukaemia CARE’s patient survey is running again from September through to Saturday 16th December and I want you to share your blood cancer experience.
The 2017 patient survey aims to:
1. Provide a deeper understanding of the issues faced by blood cancer patients, particularly those diagnosed with rare types of blood cancer.
2. Give a greater picture of regional differences between patient experiences.
3. Understand which patient experience issues are getting worse by comparing results to those from 2016 – this will then prioritise the focus of future campaigns.
With your help, Leukaemia CARE will have a greater understanding of the issues faced by blood cancer patients. This will help direct their future work and bring about changes where they are most needed.
Share your experience. Inform the work. Improve the future experience of blood cancer patients.
The loss of Professor Holyoake is a massive blow to the CML community and a sad loss to her family. Below, you can find a link to a page of remembrance.
Professor Holyoake was a world-leader on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) achieving outstanding results in CML. Through her research, she developed methods to purify the cells of leukaemia patients. Her most recent study analysed both CML and normal blood stem cells and the key to the survival of CML stem cells. The team led by Professor Holyoake then developed a drug combination to simultaneously target these critical proteins and kill the CML stem cells.
The page will be collated with comments from CML patients all over the world. Most won’t have known her, but many will have benefitted from her work.
It would be nice to show our appreciation, the tributes and photos will be used in a Memorial Book for her family.
This September for Blood Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), Leukaemia CARE are working to improve public understanding of leukaemia and raise awareness of the most common symptoms patients experience before they are diagnosed.
In the UK, 38% of leukaemia patients are diagnosed via emergency presentation, compared to a cancer average of 22%. The key focus is driving earlier diagnosis of leukaemia, to improve patient experience and save lives.
Leukaemia Care has developed a campaign called Spot Leukaemia which encourages people to learn about leukaemia and the common symptoms. Leukaemia can be hard to spot because the signs and symptoms are common to other unrelated illnesses. Knowing what to look out for could help you make the decision to visit your GP sooner.
Leukaemia Care has also been contacting GPs to inform them of the campaign, so that they are aware of Spot Leukaemia and the messaging, in case patients ask them about symptoms they are experiencing.
The campaign is designed with one thing in mind: Awareness.
To this end, can you help Leukaemia Care raise awareness for this campaign by reading and sharing the information on this page and signing up for the Thunderclap?
I don’t take any pleasure in having to follow-up letters that haven’t been replied to, especially letters about something so important. I also dislike having to copy senior people in to force a reply out of someone, it feels childish and wastes time.
But, I’m left with no other option. The letter speaks for itself and I’ve linked PDFs to the two letters that have gone unanswered. I hope that this provokes a dialogue that reassures patients about the generic process. Thanks, Kris
Dr Jonathan Fielden
Director of Specialised Commissioning – NHS England
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17th March 2017
Dear Dr Fielden,
RE: Imatinib – your reference JF 16-1201.1
Sorry to have to write again but it has been a month since I asked for a swift response to my letter dated 16th February 2017. I should also note that the reason I sent the letter in February is because I didn’t receive a reply to the letter dated 21st December 2016.
I am concerned by your lack of communication and so are the CML patients that I represent, numbering around 2,000. I have copied the Secretary of State for Health, the Chief Executive of NHS England and my local MP who I hope will encourage you into dialogue with me. I have attached my previous communication and if need be my local MP, Mark Garnier, will vouch for my credibility, he is aware of my advocacy and has been incredibly supportive over the years.
At a time when you are expecting blood cancer patients to make significant changes to their treatment, I am appalled by the lack of communication and care that has been shown. I hope that we can kick-start this relationship and give CML patients some reassurances that their questions and concerns are being taken seriously and explored. Given the amount of money that the switch to generics will save the NHS, it is surely the very least that can be done.
With stretched budgets, patient advocates and charities are under increasing pressure to fill gaps. I am proud to represent my fellow patients and I will not stand by and be done unto and I will not go away. We are a ground-breaking bunch of cancer survivors and I expect to be treated with the same amount of dignity and respect by NHS England that we are shown at all other touchpoints within the NHS.
I’m sure you appreciate how important it is for patients to have faith in the system, I look forward to answers in full for all my questions including this addition to my previous letter.
Some patients are reporting that consultants aren’t fully briefed on the switch. What measures have been put in place to ensure information has been disseminated and how is the data from new side-effects being monitored and centrally collated? Some patients are reporting new and different side-effects after switching.
The concerns I had in my previous letter still stand; the process that brought generic imatinib to market is flawed and this is now being realised. I hope that you can provide the reassurances that are needed.
Yours sincerely,
Kris Griffin (Mr)
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CC: Secretary of State for Health, The Right Honourable Jeremy Hunt MP
CC: Chief Executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens
CC: MP for Wyre Forest, Mark Garnier
CC: CML-UK Facebook Group
CC: CML-Worldwide Facebook Group
CC: Access CML Drugs blog
Access CML Drugs 