Jake Peach backs Great Ormond Street Hospital fundraiser

Radio Essex presenter Jake Peach is backing great ormond street hospital charity’s biggest ever fundraiser for a world-leading Children's Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Peach, who was treated there as a child for acute myeloid leukaemia, is adding a personal voice to the appeal after surviving a serious illness that began when he was 11.

Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity is seeking money for the centre as part of the appeal, and Peach's experience gives the campaign a direct link to the children it is meant to serve. He said, "Within days, gone was the usual routine of life and before you knew it, the focus became one thing; beating cancer and getting a second chance at life."

Jake Peach and GOSH

Peach said, "When I got to GOSH, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, which was a more aggressive form, meaning I had to start intensive chemotherapy." He was diagnosed on Mother's Day in 2008, when a blood test showed his white blood cell count was really low, and he was transferred to the hospital after that diagnosis.

He received four rounds of chemotherapy. After that, he caught an infection, was placed in an induced coma for 30 days and then went on a ventilator. Peach said, "I had 13 different machines keeping me alive, with doctors not leaving my side, because of the seriousness of my condition."

Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity appeal

After waking up, Peach could not speak or move properly and had to relearn eating, standing and walking. He said, "When I woke up, I couldn’t speak or move properly and had to relearn basic things like eating, standing, and walking."

That recovery was long, and Peach later volunteered for the hospital's radio station while he was still battling leukaemia. He said, "It was a long and frightening recovery, but the physios, nurses, and doctors were incredible and supported me throughout."

Children's Cancer Centre plans

The fundraiser is aimed at building a world-leading Children's Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Peach's support brings a survivor's account to a project focused on specialist treatment and recovery spaces for children facing cancer now.