A 26-year-old cancer survivor is hoping to raise £250,000, the cost of his treatment, by running 1,000 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End. The Reporter was very pleased to catch up with this remarkable young man this afternoon in a very sunny Princes Street. The Mr Happy suit is 90cm wide, 265cm high and weighs over 7 kilos – and he had to be careful walking around even on the pavement to ensure that he did not fall over!
One week before he was due to start at university, Andy Jackson was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia in 2003. His symptoms were initially picked-up during a routine visit to the opticians. Treatment at Great Ormond St Hospital commenced immediately and, following a successful bone marrow transplant, he was able to produce his own healthy white blood cells.
Sadly Andy’s mother, Sandy Jackson, had been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer just a few weeks prior to the discovery of her son’s leukaemia. Doctors did not expect her to survive long, but she was determined to see a successful outcome for Andy and it was her resolve, rather than medical intervention, that enabled her to survive just long enough to hear that Andy was going to be fine – she passed away just three days after Andy’s successful outcome. The BBC broadcast a fly-on-the-wall documentary that followed the Jackson family day-to-day during this difficult period.
Andy has clearly inherited his mother’s determination and describing his motivation for this challenge, Andy said: “Eight years ago, aged 18, I was diagnosed with leukaemia. I only survived thanks to intensive leukaemia treatment and a life-saving bone marrow transplant. I’m running from John O’Groats to Land’s End as ‘Mr Happy’ to raise money for CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA to help others to obtain the same second chance of life that I’ve been given.”
He also intends to run the London Marathon along the way for good measure. He had a wee shot of skiing in Aviemore which you can watch on YouTube.
Mr Happy’s mammoth journey started on Sunday 27 February and will take 9 weeks to complete (finishing around 8 May 2011). Andy will be running an average of 22 miles a day. He will run through major cities and visit famous landmarks and attractions along the way including Aviemore Ski Resort, Edinburgh, Gleneagles, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Alton Towers, The London Eye and Big Ben. Mr Happy will also visit schools along the route that are raising vital funds for CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.
To date, Andy has run five London Marathons – including three dressed as Mr Men characters. He has also undertaken marathons in Paris and New York in his bid to raise £250,000 to help other young people with leukaemia. So far he has raised over £40,000, but there is still a long way to go before he calls it a day. You can donate here…..
Andy needs your support to help him reach his target of £250,000 by sponsoring ‘Mr Happy Runs Britain’. Visit http://www.mrhappyrunsbritain.org for more information.
You can follow him on Facebook
You can follow him on Twitter
