Graeme Park has said that he’s been overwhelmed by the support shown by fans and followers, after they raised over £25,000 for cancer research. The Hacienda icon set up a crowd-fund following the death of his 18-year-old son Oliver.
Oliver died in March, after a battle with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that attacks muscle, nerves, fat and blood vessels. At the time, his mum Jenny described him as ‘a true warrior’ who ‘never once got angry, complained, or felt sad and fought so hard to the very end’.
Speaking in an interview on BBC Radio Manchester, during which he became overwhelmed, Graeme said that returning to work has given him ‘strength’, and that fans have been hugely generous with their donations, some even thrusting money at him at DJ gigs.
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“You can’t imagine [it] because you don’t think you’re ever going to have to experience the situation,” he said. “You really read about people who lose a child, and you think ‘it must be awful’, then it happens to you. It’s just the worst.
“It was the 22nd of March when we lost Oliver, so it’s still a bit raw. It’s still very raw. I do want to talk about it, because the cancer he had, sarcoma, is very rare and it’s often misdiagnosed, and on average it takes two years to get the correct diagnosis and by then it’s too late.
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“Me and my family have been actively supporting Sarcoma UK, which is quite a small charity, because it’s a rare disease. Everyone’s heard of the Chrstie and Macmillan, and we’ve had help and support from those charities, but we’ve had a lot of support from friends, family and people who follow me. People who I work with in my industry in general.
“I took the decision a week after Oliver passed to set up a Just Giving page to raise some funds for Sarcoma UK and the response has been amazing. Someone ran the Paris Marathon, someone ran the London Marathon, other people have put little events on, so the total is now £25,303. Which is incredible.”
Graeme added that the amount raised so far has taken him and his family completely by surprise. “I thought when we set it up ‘we’ll probably get five or six grand,” he said. “There’s been a few big donations, but lots and lots of small donations.
“I’ve done a few gigs, because I’m trying to get back to normal because I do think doing what I do, playing music, and just meeting people and seeing people kind of gives you strength, and everyone has been so supportive.
“People have come up to me, I did a Hacienda night in Leeds, and people were coming up and saying ‘look, I’m no good on the internet, here's five pounds, here’s 10 pounds, add it to the fund’, and that’s just fantastic.”
Breaking down, he added: “Any parent… you just don’t expect to outlive your children. You just don’t. It’s the worst. But I’ve got to try and do something positive.”
He went on to say that, having had huge support from musicians and DJs in the music business, many of whom are long-standing friends, he is planning to put on an event to raise further funds for the charity later this year.
Fans wanting to donate to Sarcoma UK can do so here…
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