Truro teammates band together for Logan
A college rugby team in Cornwall has come together in support of their teammate after his leukaemia diagnosis
Sixteen-year-old Logan Treloar, who plays prop for Truro College Rugby Academy, began to notice lumps on his neck in October and, after speaking to coaching staff at the college, took himself in for a medical check-up. He was diagnosed with lymphatic leukaemia during the half-term break and has begun chemotherapy treatment in Bristol.
Players from the Truro College Rugby Academy have set up a fundraising page in his honour and have already raised £2,600. They have also opted to go ‘bald or blonde’ to raise awareness of their cause, with each member of the team choosing to either shave their heads or dye their hair blonde.
Truro College Rugby Academy head coach Marek Churcher said: “Logan is a first year here at the college, he played his last week of rugby around five weeks ago and he asked one of our coaches for advice after he spotted some lumps on his neck. Two weeks later he came back and told us he’d been diagnosed.
“It’s been a huge shock to everyone. It’s hard to explain to a bunch of 16 and 17-year-olds what that means. We sat them down in a classroom on a Tuesday afternoon and it was then that the severity of it all really hit home. It was quite emotional for some of the boys but it’s made us so proud to see the way they’ve pulled together for their friend.
“His teammates immediately said ‘look, there’s got to be something we can do for him’. We were on the bus on the way back from an away fixture when one of the players set up a GoFundMe page for him. Logan is a natural blonde so they came up with the idea of either dying their hair blonde or shaving their head.
“The players all agreed to put in £10 each and we ended up with 50-odd guys putting in a tenner. We thought that would be a good target to hit so we could support Logan and his family, but so many people have shown up in support and it’s unbelievable how much we’ve been able to raise so far.”
A REAL SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Within 24 hours of the GoFundMe page going live, £2,600 had already been donated from far and wide, with the number increasing by the hour.
Churcher continued: “I was in the salon getting my hair dyed blonde by a friend, and another customer in the salon overheard us talking about Logan’s story. The next thing I know I’ve got £60 in cash sat in my hand from a complete stranger. She was just taken aback by the story of what the boys have done.
“That’s the beauty of community spirit and the place in which we live. We’re all so close-knit down here in Cornwall and the way people have come together has just been incredible to see.
“It’s a real credit to the rugby community and also the wider community. In the current climate, for people to be reaching into their pockets to donate and seeing the total amount getting higher and higher really shows how much people care.”
A HUGE THANK YOU
Logan said: “The support and love from everyone has been amazing. I didn’t know they were setting up the GoFundMe so when I found out I didn’t know what to say. Knowing that they’re here for me on and off the pitch just makes it a little bit easier each day.
“I can’t put into words just how grateful I am. I’m so appreciative of everything that people are doing and me and my family will never be able to say thank you enough times.”
Logan’s GoFundMe, which was set up by teammate George, can be found here.
