Let's back Zac: Jacob, 8, cycles 20 miles to raise £500 for poorly boy
An eight-year-old boy jumped in the saddle to raise more than £500 for Broseley four-year-old Zac Oliver.
Jacob Sheridan was sponsored to ride 20 miles around the area where he lives near Market Drayton.
The youngster started and finished at his home in Hinstock, cycling through villages which included Tibberton and Sambrook.
As he cycled through Hinstock on Saturday he was met by a crowd of people who gathered outside the Falcon Inn to cheer him on.
The sponsorship money he raised will help little Zac, who has a very rare form of childhood leukaemia called Near Haploid.
How you can continue to help Zac:
Anyone who wants to support the fundraising campaign should visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/zac-oliver
People can also join Zac's Facebook support page, Zachariah's's fight against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and follow @ZacAttacksBigC on Twitter.
People can also donate using their mobile phone by texting ZACH75 £1 to 70070.
Zac recently returned home after receiving the first stage of his CAR-T treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Jacob's mother Kristie, 42, said she was incredibly proud of her son.
The mother-of-two said: "It was totally his idea. He's never met Zac but it was a story that touched his heart. He is a very caring lad.
"We are incredibly proud of him. He has raised over £500.
"He is collecting the money himself. He wanted to do it the old fashioned way, collect the money and pay it in himself."
People across Shropshire and further afield – and a number of celebrities – got together to support Zac and his family, so far raising more than £630,000 through sponsored events, donations and a ‘dress red for Zac’ day.
The CAR-T therapy is estimated to give Zac a 60 to 80 per cent chance of survival.
T-Cells were harvested from his blood and will be modified in a laboratory so that they attack the cancer cells.
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The cells are genetically engineered to recognise the specific protein on tumour cells, killing the cancer in the body. When the modification is done, they will be injected back in Zac’s bloodstream.
The treatment is not currently available on the NHS, but is having huge success in America.
Although the initial online £500,000 target has been reached, family and friends are also continuing to raise funds to cover other medical expenses and eight trips to the US for follow-up appointments, accommodation for each bone marrow biopsy, day and night feeds, and out-patient medication.
Any additional money will be used to help research the rare condition and help any other children that are in the same situation as Zac.
After a long flight across the Atlantic, little Zac Oliver and his family have now returned home to Shropshire.
Four-year-old Zac, his mother Hannah Oliver-Willets and father Mark Garbett flew back into the country on Tuesday after receiving the first stage of his CAR-T treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
It was a hard week for the brave youngster, who has a very rare form of childhood leukaemia called Near Haploid. Now he will have to wait four to eight weeks until the hospital is ready for him to return to continue treatment.
Hannah said they had tried to enjoy their last couple of days in America, so that Zac is excited to go back when the time comes.
“It’s been hard, but we’ve had a few days of just trying to have some fun,” she said. “We want to try and do it so that when we return it’s not just about going to hospital and having horrible things done.
“It was really difficult for Zac to manage – to be in a totally different environment.”
People across Shropshire and further afield – and a number of celebrities – got together to support Zac and his family, so far raising more than £630,000 through sponsored events, donations and a ‘dress red for Zac’ day.
And well-wishers in America have been rushing to offer support to the family as well.
That included a free trip to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Centre for the Performing Arts.
The family had been ready to pay for the show, but as soon as staff heard their story they were allowed to enter at no cost.
“People here are amazing,” Hannah said. “They have been really supportive and friendly, going out of their way to help us.”
