Inspirational student reaches £150,000 target to repay his life-saving bone marrow transplant

Andrew Davies, who is in his second year studying a Sport and Exercise Science degree, has completed his mission to raise £150,000 to pay back the hospital which saved his life six years ago.

Spurred on by his gratitude for the care he received, Andrew’s fundraising journey has spanned over five years, taken in an array of sporting challenges, gala balls and over 500 individual donations.

Andrew was just 13 years old when he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in September 2012. The aggressive form of cancer is caused by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood.

The teenager began chemotherapy which caused sickness, hair loss, bleeding and bruising. He underwent a bone marrow transplant in January 2013, spending 25 days in isolation.

The care he received at Sheffield Children’s Hospital ensured that within three months Andrew could resume his life once again and was able to return to school.

Upon his recovery, driven by his gratitude for the care he received and the conviction that the environment could be improved for others in a similar situation, he poured his energy into the fundraising initiated in his name.

Soon after, Andrew pledged to raise £150,000, which was the cost of his life-saving bone marrow transplant to the NHS. The fundraising was split evenly between leukaemia research and the Cancer Ward.

The transformed ward would create private patient rooms with en-suite facilities, giving patients a place to make their own and space for a parent to sleep comfortably alongside them.

“I’ve had fantastic support from so many people. Friends and family have ran marathons, held gala balls and raised money in lieu of presents. It’s been incredible”. Andrew said.

Andrew is also an active student at university. He is the LJMU Handball Club President and chose to study Sport and Exercise Sciences to learn more about the research and science behind sport.

“My interests strongly lie in sport and that is clear when you look at the number of fundraising events that have been physical challenges. Since arriving at LJMU I’ve had fantastic experiences of practical research within the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences. This is definitely something I'd be interested to go into in the future, and there's no better place to be for that to happen.”

Cheryl Davidson, Community Fundraising Manager at The Children’s Hospital Charity said: “Andrew’s incredible efforts will make a huge difference to young patients from across South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and North Derbyshire, who depend on the ward’s incredible care.”

Andrew’s Fundraising highlights:

• A 215 mile coast-to-coast cycle with his brother James from Liverpool to Skegness, raising over £4,000
• A ’20-16’ sports event at Lady Manners School in Bakewell, featuring 20 activities and over 830 students across 16 hours, which raised over £8,500
• Walking the Dales Way, an 81-mile trail from Ilkey in West Yorkshire to Browness-on-Windermere in Cumbria with six friends, raising over £4,000

Andrew has been featured across national and local media and you can watch a clip on ITV News

Visit Andrew's Just Giving page.