The Anton Day Smile Foundation

I have a lovely friend named Kat Bearpark. I bonded with her over a mutual love of Chelsea FC and she is one of the nicest people I’ve ever known. Kat is happily married to the lovely Rob after meeting him at university. Before she met Rob, Kat had a relationship with a young man named Anton Day. They began dating in 2002 and were hit with a huge curveball a year later when Anton discovered he had leukaemia. He’d been feeling tired for a while but had put it down to working long hours but was diagnosed after fainting at the restaurant he and Kat worked at. Anton selflessly encouraged Kat to go to university and remain friends with him whilst he underwent intense treatments. Without a hint of jealousy he would listen to her stories about life as a fresher and gave her his blessing when she met Rob during her first week as a student.

After eight weeks of Chemo, Anton went into remission and began to regain strength. Anton shared Kat and Rob’s joy when they got engaged in 2004 and even met Rob in 2005. At this time he was on the road to recovery and enjoying life.

In September 2008 Kat received a heartbreaking phone call: Anton had caught a cold that spread to his lungs and he had died.

By all accounts Anton was an incredible young man. He had explained to his mum that he wanted to offer their Spanish villa, the one his parents had bought to help him recover and gain strength in comfort. Anton never got to go to the villa but he allowed Kat and Rob to have an amazing honeymoon there, he made sure Kat knew how special she was to him.

Anton’s parents, Vanessa and Tony have set up a charity in Anton’s name: The Anton Day Smile Foundation. Kat is very much a part of the organisation, which is completely voluntary. Their aim is to raise money to support the victims of leukaemia and other blood cancers. Their first aim is to create a memorial garden for Anton at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. They would like the garden to provide peach and solace for patients, in a place that isn’t as clinical as a hospital ward.

Anton sounds like an extremely selfless and brave person. What he did for Kat was amazing and incredibly rare. I’m sure his family miss him terribly and I think it is a terrible shame he died so young, the world was a better place with someone like him in it. His parents, and Kat, are so brave and incredible for working so hard in his memory. I really do hope the memorial garden is built and that leukaemia patients continue to be helped by Anton’s charity.

For more information about The Anton Day Smile Foundation please take a look at their website:

http://www.antondaysmilefoundation.org/index.html