A NORTH EAST dad who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness has seen thousands raised in just minutes after an appearance on TV.
Dad-of-three, Chris Johnson saw almost £3,000 raised in just minutes after an interview with presenter Victoria Derbyshire on the BBC News channel on Thursday.
Mr Johnson, who earlier this week spoke to The Northern Echo, is raising money for the charity, Children With Cancer UK after being diagnosed with terminal cancer last year.
Read more: Meet the dad-of-three tackling the Great North Run after being diagnosed with terminal illness
The 42-year-old, who lives in High Barnes in Sunderland, is set to take on the Great North Run on Sunday where it is hoped he can raise as much as he can for the charity.
But appearing on BBC News on Thursday morning, Mr Johnson explained how his life had been forever changed following the news his condition was incurable.
On the programme, he spoke about his fundraising efforts and how almost £14,000 had been so far raised following the launch of an online campaign.
However, just minutes after coming off-air, Mr Johnson saw hundreds of donations flood in with dozens of messages of support.
Speaking after his appearance, he told The Echo: “We spoke about a bit of everything, we went through my diagnosis and how I came to start running to climbing.”
Throughout this year, Mr Johnson has been fundraising by completing a number of challenges – including Scafell Pike – and is planning to complete the London Marathon.
In just minutes, messages from far and wide filled his online fundraiser, with some donations reaching upwards of £50.
Mr Johnson added: “I am just over the moon – if I can do it again, especially before the London Marathon then I will.”
As of 2.30pm on Thursday, almost £17,000 had been raised in total since his fundraiser went live earlier this year.
To view the fundraiser on Virgin Money Giving - click here
To follow Mr Johnson's progress on Twitter - click here
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