A small blue wristband worn by Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been getting people talking, and behind it is a story that means the world to everyone at Joseph’s Goal.
The Joseph’s Goal wristband has been appearing on Andy’s wrist during some increasingly high-profile moments over recent weeks.
People noticed it. They started asking questions. And before long, the story behind that little blue band was being shared with audiences across Greater Manchester and nationally.
For us, hearing those questions being asked has been pretty special, because that little blue band carries Joe’s name.
People started noticing
The wristband was attracting attention before Andy entered Downing Street, with Wigan Today highlighting it in June while he was speaking to supporters and the media.
Following his appointment as Prime Minister in July, it continued to appear during public appearances and videos, and more people began asking what the blue band represented.
That curiosity soon turned into wider media coverage, with both the Manchester Evening News and the Daily Star sharing the story behind the wristband and introducing new audiences to Joseph, NKH and the work of Joseph’s Goal.
The story travelled further still when UK News Today produced an episode entitled “The Blue Band That Changed Lives”, sharing Joe’s story and the work of Joseph’s Goal with another audience.
For a charity dedicated to an ultra-rare condition that most people have never heard of, that kind of awareness is incredibly valuable.
The boy behind the blue wristband
Joseph Kendrick is 17 and lives with Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH), an ultra-rare and life-limiting genetic metabolic condition.
When Joe was born in 2009, his diagnosis turned the Kendrick family’s world upside down.
Joseph’s Goal was established in 2012 to raise awareness of NKH and fund research that could improve the lives and futures of children affected by the condition.
Since then, Joe’s name has appeared on thousands of those blue wristbands, and now one has found its way to Downing Street!
A friendship that goes back years
Andy Burnham’s connection with Joseph and his family stretches back many years, through his long association with the Wigan and Leigh area and the extraordinary community that has grown around Joseph’s Goal.
Joe himself became part of Wigan Athletic history in 2013 when, aged just four, he was the club’s mascot for the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
Captain Emmerson Boyce carried Joe onto the pitch before Wigan Athletic produced one of the greatest FA Cup shocks of all time by beating Manchester City.
That moment introduced Joe and NKH to a huge audience.
More than a decade later, another very simple image is doing something similar, our blue wristband on the wrist of the Prime Minister.
Raising awareness of NKH
For families affected by any ultra-rare condition, awareness is crucial.
NKH affects a tiny number of children and families worldwide.
That rarity makes funding research particularly challenging and means many people will never even encounter the words Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia unless somebody gives them a reason to ask.
Over the last 14 years, Joseph’s Goal supporters have done that in hundreds of different ways.
Every new person who asks us, “What does that blue wristband mean?” creates another opportunity for us to tell them.
Thank you, Andy
Seeing the Joseph’s Goal wristband worn on a national and international stage has been an incredibly proud and emotional experience for the whole family.
It represents every family living with NKH and the researchers working to understand and treat this devastating condition.
And it represents the thousands of people who have supported Joseph’s Goal since this journey began.
So thanks, Andy, for continuing to wear it.
And to everybody who has spotted that little blue band and wondered what it means, now you know!
Help us continue the fight against NKH
Every donation helps Joseph’s Goal continue supporting vital research into Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia.
Click HERE to donate
