Simon Fuller

Real Life Stories

ukSimon Fuller

Story type: Malaria

Doing what I do, there are endless opportunities to help out with so many worthwhile initiatives, and you can really only do a fraction of what you want to do.

The reason I’ve chosen to support the malaria fight, which isn’t widely known, is that malaria is a special cause for me for lots of reasons. Firstly, my Dad was an RAF pilot in the Second World War and, during a spell working in Burma, he sadly contracted malaria. It was the type of malaria that reoccurs and so he suffered from it his whole life. That was my first introduction to malaria and just how serious it can be. Fortunately, we had the resources to get the necessary medicine and he lived to a ripe old age.

The reason I’ve chosen to support the malaria fight is that malaria is a special cause for me for lots of reasons

The next thing that happened that introduced me to malaria in a more direct way, was when my Dad left the RAF and decided to become a teacher. Rather than working in England, he decided to teach overseas, so at the age of five I found myself living in Ghana, West Africa – a country I grew to love. It’s also a country where malaria affects the entire population, all 24 million people are at risk.

So at the age of five I was given this little white pill, to help prevent malaria, which my Mum used to put into chocolates because it tasted really bad. I took this pill every day for five years. It was also my job to spray the house every day with the mosquito spray to keep the mosquitoes at bay, and so malaria really has been quite a significant part of my life. Some of my fondest memories are of my childhood in Ghana. I truly love that country and have been back many times. I’m proud when I see the work that is being achieved in Ghana and across Africa thanks to many organisations including Malaria No More UK. Ghana has become a shining light in the battle against malaria and with our help, long may it continue. So that’s my story.