The family and friends of a woman battling leukaemia have started a fundraising drive for a charity which supports the hospital ward where she spent four-and-a-half months battling the disease.

Mother-of-two Josie Buckley, 48, of Wibsey, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in November and immediately began chemotherapy on Ward 7 at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

After contracting infections she ended up being an inpatient over Christmas and well into the new year. By her side throughout her ordeal was husband Paul, and other family and friends, who visited every day.

They were so impressed with the level of care she received they banded together to organise a fundraising drive for the Annette Fox Leukaemia Research Fund, a charity which supports Ward 7.

The fund is named after Annette Fox, a Bradford girl who died of leukaemia in 1980, aged 17. It was set up by her parents and hospital staff in her memory and has since raised more than £2 million for the patients and equipment on Ward 7.

Josie’s friends have organised a fun day at Bankfoot Cricket Club on Sunday, August 28, from noon, which will include food, live music, stalls, raffle and evening disco.

Added to the money raised on the fun day will be cash raised by Josie’s friends such as Shirley Taylor, 47, of Horton Bank Top, who is running the Jane Tomlinson 10K event in York, her cousin Debbie Dewdney, who has sold cakes at her work place, raising £232. Other fundraisers include her sister Vicky Wells, Bernadette Hargreaves, Ann Booth, Shelley Tasker and Kevin Morrisroe.

Josie, who has just finished a course of radiotherapy at St James’s Hospital, Leeds, had just booked a cruise to celebrate her silver wedding anniversary when she received the diagnosis.

“I thought I was just a bit anaemic because I was feeling tired, so when they said that it was leukaemia it was shocking,” she said. “The cruise had to be cancelled.”

  • Read the full story Thursday’s T&A