A NUDGEE College student will put his best foot forward to raise money for research into meningococcal disease.
Mark Rossiter, 18, said he planned to alternate between running and walking 130km from Brisbane to Tweed Heads as a way of doing something special to remember his schoolmate Chris D’Arcy and another Nudgee College student Daniel Laherty, both of whom died after contracting meningococcal in August last year.
‘Chris and Daniel’s death was pretty hard on everyone,’ Mark said.
‘It was pretty sad, a big shock.
‘The idea to raise money has just snowballed, especially since there have been a number of reported cases this year.’
Mark, a Year 12 student and boarder from Mungindi in south-west Queensland, started with the idea of walking the distance.
A fellow student offered him $100 towards finding a cure for the disease if he ran instead of walked.
Mark felt so strongly about helping to make a difference he took up the challenge, agreeing to alternate between running and walking.
Supported by seven other Nudgee students he wants to raise more then $10,000 for research.
