RARE INSIGHTS |
Making the RARE voice heard
Cameron, aged 16, who has a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy and other conditions, was picked from hundreds of nominations from across the UK to win the category of Inspirational Young Person in these awards which celebrate the courage of children coping with serious illnesses or complex conditions and honour the dedication of professionals who go the extra mile to help sick children and their families. The awards are run by WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children. Cameron will be one of the stars of the show at September’s high profile Awards ceremony, which has been attended over the past few years by Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Sussex and many of the charity’s celebrity supporters.
Since the moment he was born Cameron has been a fighter. At birth his prognosis was not good. He was not expected to live long and even if he survived he would not be able to walk, talk or eat. But he started doing all the things some medical professionals said he would never do, he also battled illness after illness but came through every time. Cameron has since gone from strength to strength but when he was 11 he suffered a breakdown which has left him with severe OCD and anxiety. Cameron has also recently been diagnosed with a rare form of autism. However he is battling on and has achieved so much, although school and education is incredibly challenging for him he never gives up. He is a junior political editor for Rare Revolution magazine (youth edition) which launched in March and has been to both Scottish and English Parliament to interview Nicola Sturgeon and Andrew Bowie MP. He has a passion for war history and he also plays Power Chair football for The Villa Rockets. With the right support, he hopes to go to college to do computer game design or political journalism. Cameron’s mum Nikola Trevalyan-Blake who nominated him for the WellChild Award, said: “He’s funny, courageous, clever and determined and I could not be more proud. I so want him to see and believe how very special he is and have that belief in himself and realise just how far he has come and should be so proud of what he has achieved and gone through.”
Speaking at the 2017 WellChild Awards, The Duke said: “These awards were created to shine a bright light on an amazingly brave group of children and young people, on their lives, and on the resolve they and their families have shown to overcome challenges. Life for families caring for seriously ill children is exceptionally tough. And without WellChild it is even tougher. “Over the years, the WellChild Awards has played a huge part in highlighting what these families need, and the support that is desperately needed to meet the ever-increasing demand.” With hundreds of nominations received from across the country, the difficult job of choosing winners in all WellChild Award categories is given, each year, to an esteemed panel of judges. That panel consists of leading health professionals and others with an interest in children’s health and includes children and young people who face serious illness themselves. These awards were created to shine a bright light on an amazingly brave group of children and young people, on their lives, and on the resolve they and their families have shown to overcome challenges. Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Sussex WellChild’s Director of Programmes, Linda Partridge, is also a member of that panel. She said: “It is a tremendous challenge to select winners from the many, many truly amazing nominations we receive from all over the country. All the panel members are moved by the bravery of the children, the stories of selfless care and support and the dedication of the doctors, nurses, teachers, brothers and sisters who make a great difference to the lives of seriously ill children and young people. Cameron truly deserves to be the winner of this award. “The Awards, in association with GSK, are a perfect demonstration of WellChild’s commitment to helping as many seriously ill children and their families as we can and embody our aim of raising awareness of their needs.” Cameron will receive his award at the annual WellChild Awards ceremony in London this September. At this star-studded event, Cameron will meet a host of WellChild celebrity supporters, who attend each year to celebrate the courage of brave children and honour the dedicated work of the country’s health professionals. In addition to HRH The Duke of Sussex, previous WellChild Award evenings have been attended by Rapper Stormzy, Magician Dynamo, rock legend Rod Stewart with his wife Penny Lancaster Stewart, comedian Russell Howard, pop singer Pixie Lott, actress Barbara Windsor, pop band Scouting for Girls, Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne and many more. About WellChild WellChild is the national charity for seriously ill children, committed to improving the quality of life for children across the UK with serious illness, or exceptional health needs. Many of these children spend months, even years in hospital simply because there is no support enabling them to leave. WellChild exists to ensure they are given the best chance to thrive – at home, together with their families. The charity, which has Prince Harry as its Patron, funds numerous programmes aimed at ensuring that children can be cared for at home with their families wherever possible:
For more information, please see www.wellchild.org.uk Chris Hill – WellChild Tel: 01242 530007 Email: chrishill@wellchild.org.uk Isobel McFarlane – WellChild Tel: 07803 906816 Email: isobelmcfarlane@wellchild.org.uk / isobel.mcfarlane@btconnect.com About GSK A science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. We have three world-leading businesses that research, develop and manufacture innovative pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. Our goal is to be one of the world’s most innovative, best performing and trusted healthcare companies. GSK media enquiries – 020 8047 5502.
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