Adie's Mum Kay here. This entry will not be up to Adrian's sparkling standard but I wanted to bring everyone up to date with what is continuing to happen in Adrian's memory.
First of all, thank you to everyone who respected Adie's wish that his funeral should be for his family and friends. The service was wonderfully moving and uplifting although unbearably sad at the same time. Donations in honour of Adrian's memory came to just under £1400 and this sum has been sent to the Anthony Nolan trust. The generosity of the tribute was a true reflection of Adrian's desire that he was remembered by funds to the ANT instead of flowers so thanks to all who gave. Included in this amount is the very kind donation to us from ardent Bloggite Charlotte who suggested wine and Haribos for the Sudbury clan. This was a really kind gesture but we hope you don't mind that we gave the money to the ANT instead!
And so to the Memorial Service. A cebration of Adrian's life and achievements will be held at Sheffield Cathedral on Thursday 16 October 2008 at 2.00pm. Adrian wants this to be a much more upbeat affair and would like as many people as possible to attend wearing bright clothing suitable for the cathedral setting.
We will produce an Order of Service for the ceremony and light refreshments will be served afterwards. We are looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible. Enquiries to 01484 437707 or rsvpadrian@trinitymirror.com
On Sunday 19 October 2008, Adie's sister Carrie and her fiance Ian Knapton are organising a fund raising concert at The Winding Wheel in Chesterfield 7.00- 10.00pm Details have been posted on Adrian's face book page but briefly:-
Doors open @ 6.15pm
Entry: Adult £10 Children £5
Price includes entry into Raffle
Tickets Available from
The Winding Wheel & Pomegranate Theatre on 01246 34522
Chesterfield Tourist Information Office on 01246 345777/8
or contact Ireland Colliery Chesterfield Band on 01246 211671
The raffle will include some interesting prizes including Adrian's world famous Paul Smith Dressing Gown and his ( unworn ) Paul Smith jim jams, signed articles from the great Chesney Hawkes and something interesting from our number one tennis player Andy Murray no less.
And now for the truth about Adie's famous hat! The detectives amongst you will already have spotted that in fact there were two virtually identical beanies worn by Adrian on an interchangeable basis. As his Mum, I couldn't send him off on his next great adventure without it. There will not be many who turn up at the Pearly Gates in smart suit and beanie but I reckoned that if the outfit was good enough for Westminster, Number 10 and Natasha……
The additional sartorial detail of note is that Adrian journeys on in the peacock blue boxer shorts which put in a brief appearance in the aftermath of the “ falling in the pond “ post party incident!
I am sure you will appreciate that the family wish to retain the other hat which is why it won't be in the raffle.
And now for more serious matters. Keith and I will be attending the opening of the Anthony Nolan Trust Cord Blood bank facility in Nottingham on Thursday this week. We hope to have the opportunity to speak to Alan Johnson - one of the ministers so taken with Adrian's ideas - and it will be useful to get up to date with the schools initiative that is being rolled out during September 2008.
Then on Sunday we are going to watch the recording of the Sky One programme Noel's HQ which features the work of the Trust and which came about so we are told when Noel Edmonds read about Adrian's campaign in the Times recently and was impressed by his passion. This is a wonderful example of Adrian's campaign getting into the mainstream of our national consciousness and a fabulous testament to a young man's tenacity in the face of a ghastly illness.
Then on October 25 2008 in Soddy Daisy Tennessee my lovely friend Annie Baggett is hosting a donor drive in memory of Adrian and in honour of her son Steven who has Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia but who, thankfully, is well and controlled by Gleevec at the moment. Check out her blog “ Living with CML� for details. A great example of Adrian's Army going truly international!!
This entry would not be complete without going back to first base. Adrian had a very simple mission. He wanted 17 and 18 year olds to know all the facts about blood organ and stem cell donation so that an informed decision can be made about whether or not to join a national register.
The education of youngsters is important for several reasons. Most importantly there is a whole range of myths and rumours surrounding the process and these need to be dispelled. He felt that if people know precisely what is involved and perhaps more importantly what is not involved they would be much more willing to sign up as donors and if the information is imparted to this age group they will be able to act upon it straight away by becoming blood donors and signing up to the bone marrow register.
However, he was also keen to make sure that everyone understands the commitment that underpins an entry to the register. A potential donor may not be called upon for many years and there are costs associated with maintaining the registers worldwide and he wanted people to be aware of the ongoing nature of that commitment. However he was the first to point out the generosity of spirit at large in the great British public and was certain that the increased knowledge would see a huge change in the numbers willing to register each year.
His Dad and I would merely say that the best way to remember Adrian is to get onto the donor register. We know many of you have already done so and we salute your determination to make a difference. Thank you.
Adrian Sudbury was a reporter for both the Huddersfield Express and Chronicle Series and the Huddersfield Examiner. In November 2006 the 25-year-old was promoted to digital journalist, effectively editing the new-look Examiner website.
Just two days into his new role he became seriously ill and called in sick. A week later he drove himself to A&E and was eventually diagnosed with leukaemia.
It was then identified that he actually had two distinct types of the disease running at the same time. According to the medical literature he was the only person in the world to have this condition. As such, it was not possible to offer Adrian a prognosis.
Here he shared his experiences of the disease and his treatment up until his passing.
