Cancer survivor raising funds to say thank you

A cancer survivor is climbing Kilimanjaro to fundraise and give back to the hospital ward that treated him.

Freddie Cole, from East Yorkshire, spent four months on Ward 33 at Castle Hill Hospital, near Hull, during treatment for a rare form of lymphoma.

Freddie, who has been in remission for two years, said he cannot thank the people who treated him enough.

He has organised various fundraising events and set himself the goal of climbing Africa's highest peak to raise further funds for Hull Hospitals charity WISHH, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Mr Cole was diagnosed with Stage four Burkitt's lymphoma, a rare cancer of both the bone marrow and the lymph system which affects just 210 people in the UK each year, in autumn 2022.

Mr Cole was treated in the Teenage and Young Adult Unit at the Queen's Centre at Castle Hill Hospital, where he received numerous rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and multiple blood and platelet transfusions.

"I nearly lost my life and they cared and looked after me, to cure me," he said.

"I can't thank all the consultants, nurses, Teenage Cancer Trust, and the entire team enough, who work in Ward 33 in The Queen's Centre, at Castle Hill. They do an amazing job and are so kind and friendly."

He also thanked those people who give blood.

"I needed so many transfusions and I wouldn't be here without them."

Mr Cole has organised a number of events to raise money and awareness of blood cancers and the importance of early diagnosis.

He set out to Tanzania earlier in June, having set himself the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in northeastern Tanzania.

His initial fundraising target was £4,000 but to date he has raised over £7,000.

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