UQ student's Great Shave triumph

A University of Queensland medical student suffering from a rare, incurable blood cancer and his friends have raised about $80,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave campaign.

John Maunder, 21, brought together 20 friends and family members under the banner of Team Maunder to raise $60,000 for the cause.

The first-year medical student was diagnosed with nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma last December and is now undergoing ABVD chemotherapy to fight the cancer into remission.

John is already without hair due to chemotherapy treatment.

His friends undertook the official shave-off at Brisbane's Regatta Hotel last Friday, raising $3000.

On Sunday, the town of Yuleba, 420 kilometres west of Brisbane in the Maranoa district, where John grew up, dug deep with a World's Greatest Shave day at the local bowls club, raising $16,000 for Team Maunder.

This was in addition to Team Maunder raising nearly $50,000 prior to the event and the official shave-off.

The team now aims to be one of The Leukaemia's Foundation's Top 30 fundraisers in Queensland and nationally.

Donations to The World's Greatest Shave campaign need to be made before Friday, 31 May. To donate to Team Maunder visit its Leukaemia Foundation page.

Media: Belinda Berry, UQ Communications, +617 3365 3439 or communications@uq.edu.au