MaxiTRANS is supporting an Australian charity that is fighting the good fight against Bone Marrow Failure.
The local heavy road transport trailer manufacturer has announced it will donate $20,000 to support Blake’s Army Limited, an organization set up to honor Blake Dridan’s battle.
Blake is the son of long-term MaxiTRANS employee Luke Dridan, who is the Sales & Business Analyst based in Ballarat.
At 15 Blake was diagnosed with a disease known as severe aplastic anemia (SAA).
The first sign of the onset of this disease for Blake was bruising which his parents got checked out by their family GP.
A phone call later that same day meant a rush to the hospital as there were no platelets left in his blood and Blake was effectively bleeding out.
Since diagnosis, Blake has endured over 5 years of battling the relentless disease, where doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant as the course of treatment which brings with it many challenges.
Blake’s Journey ahead is far from over, however his determination, perseverance, and positive outlook on what he has been dealt is the inspiration for the establishment of Blake’s Army Limited.
What is bone marrow failure syndrome? (BMFS)
Bone marrow is the body’s factory for healthy blood cells. In BMFS the bone marrow stops working, and the body is unable to produce healthy blood cells, causing significant disruptions to health.
Approximately 160 Australians are diagnosed with the debilitating condition each year, most of which are children and young adults.
Blake’s Army will aggressively support the work of Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision by raising funds to enhance the research projects that they do towards finding a cure for Bone Marrow Failure.
“Over the last 5 years, my son Blake has been fighting so bravely against an aggressively relentless disease,” Blake’s dad, Luke.
“The fight he has shown is nothing short of inspiring, so much so that an army of Australia’s sporting icons have offered
support like I’ve never seen before.”
“Sensing the strain and helplessness that I felt, it was Paul Roos (former AFL player and coach) who first suggested the idea that instead of waiting for answers to solve the major issue we had to deal with, maybe there was something we could do to play
our part in helping solve the Bone Marrow Failure puzzle.”
“MaxiTRANS is one business that has ridden the roller coaster of Blake’s battle since day dot of his diagnosis. The people of MaxiTRANS could not have done more to support Blake and our entire family, so to me, it is great to see MaxiTRANS is on
board with us to finish the fight and help spread the word within the transport industry.”
