A DEVOTED Bangor man has raised £7,500 for the Royal Victoria Hospital’s cancer unit after his great-grandson was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Jimmy Johnston explained he was inspired to raise funds for the children’s cancer unit after his three year-old great-grandson Kobe was diagnosed with leukaemia.
He said the family was ‘devastated’ to receive the diagnosis but, now aged four, Kobe is ‘coping well with the ongoing treatment’.
Determined to ‘give something back’ to the team that continues to care for his family, Mr Johnston set about organising a number of fundraising feats from golf events and a ballot.
Said Mr Johnston: “The whole family was devastated by Kobe’s diagnosis. I was going up to the hospital with them for the first seven to eight months.
“There are a whole lot of children going up and down to the hospital to receive treatment and I was sitting there thinking that ‘I need to give something back to these people’.”
A keen golfer at Carnalea Golf Club, Mr Johnston was delighted to receive the support of his golfing community.
“The club agreed to donate the green fees for a certain period,” he said. “We also had a ballot and a lot of people donated prizes such as football shirts and we were able to auction them.”
With an initial fundraising target of £600, Mr Johnston said he ‘was over the moon’ to have raised over ten times that amount thanks to the generosity of local people.
He also praised the dedication of Kobe’s parents.
“Kobe is doing really well. I couldn’t praise his mum Shelby and dad Daniel enough, they have been brilliant,” he said.
“I am delighted to have raised £7,500, I just wish it was £7.5m. I was surprised and over the moon by just how generous people were.”
