Kate and James Rule, the parents of two, know firsthand the importance of support when facing childhood cancer. Their youngest daughter Paige was only five years old when she was diagnosed with leukaemia in October 2018. Through challenging times, Redkite was there to provide practical and emotional support. 

Kate and James were inspired to take part in Dry July initiative by excluding alcohol for a month and raising money for Redkite so we can continue to provide practical, emotional and financial support to families facing childhood cancer. 

With the astounding help of their family and friends, they raised over $10,000 for Redkite in Dry July in 2020.

Kate added : “Practical help – that’s what you need when your child is going through cancer.”

Kate and James have been participating in Dry July since 2019 and have raised over $20,000 in support of Redkite.

 In 2020, Kate encouraged her husband to sign-up so they can shed the unwanted kilos they gained during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“I was going to have to do it by default to support my wife anyway so I figured I might as well sign-up and raise some money” – JAMES

Kate said they ended up consuming more alcohol during numerous Zoom parties. “You’d ended up drinking a whole lot more because you’re not going anywhere,” she said. 

During Dry July, Kate found that she slept better, her anxiety decreased, and James lost four and half kilograms. 

“I’m drinking a lot less now because I realised that even if I have two glasses of wine it impacts my sleep and I need my sleep,” Kate said. 

Their team of 14 family and friends was ranked the #7 social fundraising team in Australia for Dry July 2020 (excluding beneficiary or workplace teams). 

On encouraging anyone wanting to sign-up to Dry July, Kate said: “Go forth and do it. It’s a health kick and you’re also giving back.”