A BARNSLEY College student is hoping to raise vital funds for a charity which helped save his life as a youngster by taking part in a sponsored walk.

Eduard Cristea, 16, was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukaemia aged three and was given critical end-of-life care in his home country of Romania.

He was transferred to the children’s oncology unit of the San Matteo Hospital in Italy, where he received a bone marrow transplant which resulted in being in remission for 11 years.

He has recently completed an eight-mile sponsored walk from Goldthorpe to Barnsley to raise funds for Blood Cancer UK.

Eduard managed to raise £200 for the charity but is hoping to go one step further in April when he walks from Goldthorpe to Wakefield to raise even more money for the charity.

He told the Chronicle: “I am now 11 years free of leukaemia.

“I am one of the lucky ones.

“This is why I spend my time fundraising to help other people the way they have helped me.

“A couple of months ago I created my first ever fundraise - an eight-mile walk from Goldthorpe to Barnsley and raised £250 for the Charity Blood Cancer UK.

“I promised myself if that fundraiser went well I would do an even bigger one.

“I have started a fundraiser for Gli Amici del Sorriso - also nicknamed ‘Friends of the 4th floor’.

“This team has supported me through every step of the way when I suffered from leukaemia and I simply couldn’t have done it without them.

“So, now in order to pay it back I’m doing a 17-mile walk from Goldthorpe to Wakefield aiming to raise £500 for other children in the care of the team.”

A link to the fundraiser can be found on the Chronicle’s website.