Mr White is spearheading some whole school fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support:
“I had the good fortune to meet up with two of our ex-pupils recently. Both attended the school about twelve years ago and both are progressing extremely well in their careers. We exchanged the usual pleasantries, talked fondly about the past but it was the more recent experiences of one young lady that stuck in my mind.
Parissa Barghchi left school in 2007. Since this time she has enjoyed considerable success in her chosen career but it is her private life that has presented the greatest issues. In 2018, Parissa lost her mother to breast cancer. If this wasn’t enough to cope with, shortly afterwards she was informed that another close family member was suffering from the same condition and very soon afterwards Parissa herself tested positive for the BRCA1 gene which hugely increases the possibility of her contracting the disease. Parissa has recently undergone significant medical intervention to help prevent her becoming the third member of her family to battle this awful disease.
I’m glad to say the prognosis for Parissa and her family is very positive and great thanks must be given to our wonderful health service for this. What impressed me most however is that Parissa is the same bubbly, positive young lady that she always was. She has not let this faze her and now wants to give something back. What surprised me is the manner in which Parissa plans to do this. She was never the sportiest individual in school but she has recently gained entry to the Virgin London Marathon and will be running to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support who gave her such great help during a very challenging period.
I have pledged to support Parissa in her venture and will be running some fund raising events within school. I would also ask anyone in the wider community that either knows Parissa personally, has been affected by similar issues or just wants to show support for a very brave young lady to get behind her if you can. The easiest way to do this is to type Parissa Barchghi London Marathon into Google and choose Virgin Money Giving. You will see Parissa’s individual page, can read more about her and the reasons for this fantastic challenge and hopefully offer sponsorship for the event.
Thank You.
Chris White
Deputy Head Teacher”