A brave doctor’s campaign has gone global thanks to social media. Now its reach could extend into space.
Hospital consultant Kate Granger, 34, launched her “Hello, my name is...” campaign to encourage medics to introduce themselves to patients.
Thanks to Twitter her husband Chris Pointon, 39, has taken the campaign worldwide with high-profile celebrity endorsements.
In 2014 Aussie singer Kylie Minogue became the biggest name to sign up, helping push the message in her homeland, while the latest to tweet support is TV star Carol Vorderman.
And the drive has also reached skywards at the top of the world’s tallest building, the Dubai skyscraper the Burj Khalifa.
Now Chris wants to take the campaign out of this world – as far as the International Space Station where British astronaut Tim Peake is currently orbiting the earth.
Kate, from Wellhouse near Slaithwaite, launched her simple campaign two-and-a-half years ago after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
She has had chemotherapy treatment and is fighting the disease and has a ‘bucket list’ of things she wants to achieve.
Chris, who grew up in Mirfield, is helping her tick off those wishes and he is determined to conquer space.
“After Kate launched the campaign on Twitter we thought it would maybe just fizzle out after a while but it’s gone global and has had 1.4 billion Twitter impressions worldwide,” said Chris.
“It’s certainly gone global so now we want to take it as far as the International Space Station. I’ve been trying to reach Tim Peake but it’s proving more difficult than I had hoped.”
Chris has been given a little extra time after it was announced that Major Peake’s stay has been extended by another two weeks. He’s now due back on earth on June 18 so Chris is hopeful his Planet Earth to Major Tim message will get through.
“It would be great if we could get the endorsement from space,” he said.
Whenever Kate is ill or in need of a boost Chris reaches out to Twitter celebrities.
Carol Vorderman, who presented Kate with a science award 20 years ago, responded to the latest wave of requests.
Kate talks about her campaign in this video
Next on the hit list are America’s first lady Michelle Obama and British racing driver Lewis Hamilton.
Kate, a consultant at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, has not been well in the last couple of weeks needing hospital treatment for infections, however she is now back home in East Ardsley.
A tweet from outer space would be the perfect tonic, says Chris.
