This page is a general overview of the Andrea Firebrace 'story'... with further details and info available at: https://www.facebook.com/AndreaFirebraceFoundation/ 

Andrea and I married in December 2008. We were blessed with two beautiful children over the ensuing few years. We lived & worked in West London in the UK. In 2012 we embarked on a new adventure and moved to Abu Dhabi in the UAE. We met an amazing group of mates and made new roots as a family. Life was good.

Then on 19 March 2014 our lives were turned upside down when Andi was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (with monosomy 7, complex cytogenetics and FLT-3 ITD positivity - for the scientists out there!). The next 15 months - as it turned out - saw Andi endure several rounds of chemotherapy, countless infections of various severity and finally receive a stem cell transplant in December 2014. This proved all too briefly successful and Andi's courageous battle against the odds came to an end when she died in hospital in Abu Dhabi on 15 June 2015. 

As her husband, I want some level of positivity to come from Andi's death. I want our kids to know how amazing their mother was. I want to help prevent others from suffering like Andi and prevent other families from going through what Holly, Freddie and I have been through and face up to everyday. I want to help raise funds in the fight against leukaemia, so that others better placed than me, can try and identify why one person contracts leukaemia (specifically AML), and the next person doesn't...

I have chosen to partner with the UCH Cancer Fund so as to benefit from their support and expertise in the leukaemia fundraising field. In turn, the money raised will actually fund research that will be undertaken by the UCL Cancer Institute.

1. They carry out vital research which will lead to new discoveries about leukaemia, as well as improved treatments for leukaemia patients.

2. They offer a ringside seat in the fight against cancer. 

3. They maintain close relationships with their donors so that they can stay involved with the Institute and the research projects they have helped to fund.

To this end, I plan to keep any donor or interested person updated on  the research that is undertaken by the UCL Cancer Institute via the Andrea Firebrace Foundation website. Once the details of the first research project are identified I'll keep you all updated...

Thanks for your support!

Best wishes, Henry.