A BRAVE Kidderminster man with leukaemia is marking 10 years since he was diagnosed with a fundraising challenge.

Kris Griffin has set himself a goal of raising £10,000 for Worcester-based Leukaemia Care, a charity that he is now a trustee of.

The 42-year-old marketing director was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia in 2008 following a visit to his GP with symptoms of night sweats and pain in his hip.

A blood test confirmed the bad news and the father-of-one was left wondering if he was going to die.

But a decade on, Mr Griffin has become a passionate campaigner working with fellow patients across the country seeking access to treatment, as well as a seasoned public speaker on the disease.

His treatment is ongoing and he takes two Dasatinib tablets – revolutionary medication introduced in 2001 – each morning that help keep the disease at bay.

Mr Griffin said: “When you’re told you have a leukaemia, or a blood cancer, or some other terrible disease, you never forget what being told feels like.

“There’s a ringing in the ears, everything just drains out of you. You just feel like you’ve been punched, really hard, but you feel no pain.

“The diagnosis made a huge difference to my life. Clearly, I could do without it, but it has made me a better person, I’ve no doubt about that. It’s made me recognise the important things in life.”

As well as the fundraising challenge, he is donating 10 days of his time to support the charity which will include marketing and live webinars of anyone affected by a blood cancer diagnosis.

A key event of the huge Beatles fan’s fundraising includes a gig at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool on November 1.

Other fundraising ideas include a 10-mile walk and donating his birthday to the charity in lieu of presents.

Nicole Scully, fundraising manager for Leukaemia Care said: “Kris is a fantastic example of somebody who is living well with a blood cancer.

“Kris is using his own strength to support others who sadly may not be living as well as he is.

“His fundraising pledge is a huge boost to the charity and will enable us to train more GPs about the signs and symptoms of blood cancer, support haematology nurses and continue to fund our support services for patients. We’re really excited to see how Kris’ year pans out.”

Tickets for the charity gig in Liverpool are now available through the Cavern Club website http://bit.ly/CavernClubKris10

For more on his story, visit his fundraising page justgiving.com/fundraising/kris10.