On July 19th and 20th volunteers from across Deutsche Bank’s global technical staff will spend 24 hours to come up with the best design for a mobile app for one of the bank’s Charities of the Year, Cure Leukaemia. Teams from the UK, India, Romania, Germany, Hong Kong, USA, Russia and Singapore will work around the clock to design a ground-breaking app for leukaemia patients across the globe.

The aim of the app is to give leukaemia sufferers and their families worldwide access to a vital resource that connects them to patients through a dedicated Cure Leukaemia community, offering key information on their illness and suggestions that can help them throughout their battles. This includes ways to strengthen self-esteem and mental well-being, diet advice and what to expect throughout their treatment.

Fundraising specialists JustGiving will be involved in the Hackathon offering their advice on how to maximise the fundraising possibilities associated with the app.

Commenting on this fantastic opportunity, England Football Manager Gareth Southgate, who helped Cure Leukaemia secure Deutsche Bank’s support during the Charities of the Year canvassing process, said:

“I was delighted to help my old Crystal Palace teammate Geoff Thomas and his charity Cure Leukaemia with a video message last year to help them secure the national support of Deutsche Bank in 2018 and 2019. The whole football world was shocked by Geoff’s blood cancer diagnosis in 2003 and I am in awe of all he has done to help other patients since then. Hearing that Deutsche Bank staff across the world are going to help Cure Leukaemia design a mobile app that could transform the lives of blood cancer patients on a global scale is incredibly exciting. I would like to wish all the participants the very best of luck for the ‘Hackathon’.”

Cure Leukaemia co-founder Professor Charlie Craddock CBE said of the opportunity: “Having cancer is a full-time job for patients. The treatment we offer is only part of their battle against the disease and aspects such as diet, exercise and mental well-being are crucial in helping them combat leukaemia.

We are immensely grateful to Deutsche Bank for giving Cure Leukaemia this remarkable opportunity to design a resource that could benefit patients worldwide.”

Former England, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Nottingham Forest footballer, blood cancer survivor and Cure Leukaemia Patron Geoff Thomas said:

“So much has changed since I was diagnosed in 2003 with regards to treatment but many of the other aspects associated with battling this horrible disease remain.

The same fears, uncertainties and feelings of loneliness are still felt, I’m sure, by patients around the world. This app has the potential to change that and benefit patients on a global scale and I would like to sincerely thank Deutsche Bank for giving Cure Leukaemia this fantastic opportunity.”

Corporate solicitor and acute myeloid leukaemia patient Jenna Ostrowski has been involved in the planning for the hackathon and said:

“When I was diagnosed in July 2017 I was overwhelmed, confused and isolated. It was terrifying for both me and my family. There are so many questions that you have every day during your treatment and to think that Deutsche Bank could help develop a mobile app that could answer these questions and bring patients closer together as a community is incredibly exciting.

I wish everyone luck as they could be changing the lives of so many leukaemia patients across the world with their work at the Hackathon.”

Paul Shepheard, Head of Development Engineering from Deutsche Bank, said:

“Great hackathons rely on having inspiring, challenging problems for engineers and designers to solve. From our very first conversation, it was clear that Cure Leukaemia had just that. The opportunity to create something which will benefit leukaemia patients around the world is hugely exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing what our teams produce.”

Jamie Parkins, Senior Product Manager for JustGiving, said:

“JustGiving is excited to take part in this year’s Deutsche Bank Hackathon, supporting our friends at Cure Leukaemia and helping to innovate and drive new opportunities for the charity sector. We look forward to working together to grow the world of giving.”