A Christleton man, determined to raise awareness for the rare cancer he spent years battling, has died just days after beating his fundraising target.
Rod Alexander, of Little Heath Road, passed away on his 56th birthday last Friday (February 12), almost three years after he was diagnosed with stage 3 myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow.
Despite undergoing gruelling chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, Rod threw himself into organising various fundraising events for Rod’s Money for Myeloma, the charity he set up to focus on research into the disease, and set a target of raising £60,000 for the cause.
He was thrilled to have finally reached the target on February 7, at a Burns Evening celebration, but as fate would have it, Rod passed away just five days later surrounded by his family.
RELATED STORY: Rod raises £50,000 for Myeloma charity
Last year Rod told The Chronicle how much he was trying to raise awareness of myeloma, explaining that not enough people had ever even heard of the disease.
“I accept I am dying and I want to raise both cash and awareness of this hideous disease in order to alert others of the early signs,” he said.
Katherine Seddon, chair of Rod’s Money for Myeloma, said: “Very sadly, Rod lost his battle with the disease and died five days after achieving his target, on his 56th birthday surrounded by his family.
“Rod’s Money for Myeloma would like to thank everyone for all their support and will continue to raise funds for Myeloma UK in his memory.”
To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/Rod-Alexander/
