THE FAMILY of a woman who suddenly lost her husband to a rare form of blood cancer has rallied to raise £5,500 to give back to the ‘marvellous’ Coventry NHS staff and to help others going through the same heartache.
In July 2022, Christine Roddis’s husband David died aged 80 just two months after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive form of blood cancer.
After seeing the way the staff at University Hospital looked after David in his final months, Christine and the rest of the family decided to organise a charity golf day to raise vital funds for the haematology ward.
Christine has completed a lot of charity work in the past and has raised money for Myton Hospice, which also helped David during his final days.
Christine’s son Alan Craner and his business partner Andy Pearce at Exhibit 3sixty Ltd organised the golf day at Stoneleigh Deer Park on September 22.
Cash raised from the golf day will now be used by staff to better help those on the ward.
The news of David’s diagnosis came as a great shock to Christine and her family, with her daughter rushing to move her wedding back from December at short notice to allow her father to walk her down the aisle.
Christine told the Observer: “David was a fit man, there was no real sign anything was wrong so it was so devastating and such a whirlwind.
“It was such an emotional time but I was lucky as I had my family and friends to support me.”
On Wednesday, Christine and her family presented a cheque to staff at University Hospital, after which consultants answered any questions she had about AML to put her mind at ease.
“I felt we needed to do something for the ward and our golf day was very well supported” she added.
“The golf day was very emotional and so many people who turned up took a holiday to be there, it’s so kind of people to rally around when you need them most.
“Our aim as a family was to give something back and to help those who will go through similar experiences.”
