Spreading generosity
Our story jars Mad Butcher into new campaign
THE country’s most expensive jar of Marmite is on sale again.
Charity-loving meat king Sir Peter ‘‘ Mad Butcher’’ Leitch paid $2500 for the yeasty spread at a glittering event in support of Diabetes Auckland.
Now, he says, the jar, signed by All Blacks Rugby World Cupwinning coach and great mate Sir Graham Henry, is going back on the block for Allergy Awareness Week.
‘‘I was at the diabetes dinner and thought I better put my hand in my pocket, and when I read the story of little Oscar Million I knew what to do with it straight away,’’ Sir Peter said.
Oscar, who is allergic to water, featured in Sunday News last week.
The plucky 2 year-old suffers from a staggering range of allergies, something Sir Peter understands only too well because of his own grandson’s problems.
Just being breathed on by a person who has eaten nuts or eggs within 24 hours could send Oscar into a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.
But his rarest condition is aquagenic urticaria, so uncommon he is thought to be the only sufferer in New Zealand, and one of just 40 worldwide. It means his skin breaks out in itchy bee sting-like hives when in contact with water.
And it’s just one allergy on a list of more than 20, the first of which Oscar was diagnosed with at only a few months old.
‘‘When I read the story I just thought, ‘Crikey, we thought we had problems.’ But this little fella could do with a bit of help, so if Allergy New Zealand can get a few dollars for the Marmite then that’s great. I suppose you could say we are spreading the spread a bit further,’’ Sir Peter said.
The marmite auction is now online at http://www.trademe.co.nz/ home-living/food-beverage/other/ auction-476721468.htm
An honorary ambassador for Diabetes Auckland and Allergy NZ, Sir Peter says problems allergy sufferers’ families face are almost always misunderstood. ‘‘People think you get a bit itchy, or have a sneeze or two, so it’s vital that people understand a bit more.’’
Allergy New Zealand is fighting to increase awareness and understanding for families such as Oscar’s through Allergy Awareness Week, starting today. An estimated one in 10 children in New Zealand has a food allergy. Visit www.allergydh.org.nz for more details.