13th March 2023
Chapel pupil organises a Charity Walk raising £1,413!
Chapel St Leonard’s pupil, Jacob Green (age 7) organised a charity beach walk that took place at the weekend.
Jacob has a rare blood disease called Haemophilia A. This means his blood’s X chromosome has been affected and he has no Factor 8. Without medication his blood will not clot and he would bleed internally and into his joints when he gets injured. He could also just bleed spontaneously.
Jacob, with his friends and supporters, walked more than five-and-a-half miles from Skegness to the North Sea Observatory at Chapel Point for The Haemophilia Society – the organisation which has inspired and helped him live as natural a life as possible.
Football mad Jacob plays for The Swifts wearing protective gear and has been promised a themed bedroom by his mum as a reward for completing the task.
Nicola Green said:
"I can’t tell you how proud I am of him. He stood up in school to raise awareness of the Haemophilia Society’s fundraiser Walk Around the World where sufferers from around the country raise money with steps and register them.
"The school were so impressed with his idea for the walk his friends said they wanted to take part, even the headteacher joined in, and it has snowballed from there.”
Swifts members and parents also took part, along with Tom Shaw (Headteacher), Miss Smith (Y1 Teacher), Mrs Withnall (Y5 TA) and Miss Vines (Y5 Teacher). The Chapel staff raised £240 to add to the pot.
Jacob was diagnosed when he was just eight months old and last year had to miss eight weeks of school due to internal bleeding.
Nicola added: "We need to be vigilant. Jacob is very lucky he has great preventative treatment from the NHS. John Radcliffe Children’s Hospital look after his care with support of UK centres such as Great Ormond Street.
"Jacob receives treatment currently by sub cutaneous injections and by receiving the missing factor 8 by intravenous infusions, all of which we have been trained to do at home. This keeps Jacob as safe as possible and we encourage him to live a normal seven-year-old life.”
The Haemophilia Society supports families with children diagnosed with bleeding disorders. They hold camping weekends and breaks where families can meet and children can see other children who live with needles and treatment procedures every day of their lives.
Jacob completed the walk to help the charity keep these activities going so other children can experience them.
Well done to Jacob and everyone else involved!
