Today marks the launch of The Sun's Smiles At Christmas which will help to pay for specialist nurses and for families with sick kids to stay in Homes From Home near hospitals over the festive period
ALEX McCARTHY and his family are making the most of every magical moment this Christmas.
The 13-year-old football fan has incurable brain cancer but is refusing to stop chasing his dreams.
Alex is one of thousands of brave children and their families who generous Sun readers can help by giving to our Smiles At Christmas appeal with CLIC Sargent.
His mum Beckie Watts, 35, said: “We’re going to spend Christmas together, like any other.
“It will more than likely be Alex’s last. I’m trying not to think about that.
“If I could change places with him then I would in a heartbeat.”
His cancer was diagnosed as terminal in October but Alex is trying to make the most of the time he has left with a bucket list.
The Sun and CLIC Sargent helped him tick off some of the wishes on that list — with a sight-seeing trip to London last week.
He also got to meet football hero Frank Lampard during his visit to the capital.
Alex, a Bristol Rovers supporter, said: “I’m really grateful for what the CLIC Sargent charity has done for me and I want people to donate so they can help other kids.
“I’m also so thankful for everyone who’s helped me with my bucket list. Many don’t even know me. It feels amazing.”
Alex was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of cancer, after falling unconscious at home in Bristol last November.
Only three per cent of people with this diagnosis live for five years or more.
Alex had emergency surgery at Bristol Children’s Hospital. It revealed he had a cancerous mass in his brain which had burst.
Doctors removed the tumour and a week later he began a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He later endured another 12 cycles of chemotherapy.
But on October 7, doctors delivered the shattering news that his cancer had spread and Alex only had a few months left.
Beckie said: “He absolutely sobbed his heart out. His words were, ‘All that time wasted, for nothing’.
“I cried with him. There wasn’t really anything else I could do.
“I try not to think about the fact he’s going to die.”
Alex was once a bright and cheeky boy who loved drawing and cooking. He now struggles to walk and stand and uses a wheelchair most of the time.
He insists on wearing a baseball cap to cover the scar on his head following surgery.
CLIC Sargent has supported Alex and his family every step of the way, providing a specialist nurse to treat him at home, offering financial advice and a listening ear.
CALL: 0800 144 5535 to make a payment over the phone
TEXT: SMILE to 70500 to donate £5
POST A CHEQUE TO: Make cheques payable to CLIC Sargent and send them to Smiles at Christmas Appeal, CLIC Sargent, The Data Solution Centre, Manton Wood Enterprise Park, Worksop, S80 2RT
CLICK: clicsargent.org.uk/smilesatchristmas to donate online
CASH: You can also donate in any JD Wetherspoon pub, where there will be collection buckets
Beckie, a full-time home mum who also has Ryan, 11, and Ciara, eight, said: “If we could say anything to the charity it would just be a massive thank you.
“I wouldn’t have known where to begin without it. It has helped us so much.
“I knew someone was always there for emotional support and the home visits made a massive difference to our lives.
“I’m so thankful to them and I know Alex is too. I really hope that people can donate and help other children and families affected by cancer like we have been.”
Eleven children are diagnosed with the disease every day in the UK. Their bodies are often battered with harsh treatments developed for adults.
Those who survive are often left with severe problems such as hearing and sight loss and infertility.
Alex has remained as optimistic as possible during his treatment.
Beckie, who lives with Steve Reynolds, 49, her partner of two years who works for a wall insulation company, said: “Alex is strong, stubborn and cheeky. He gets on with it.
“He’s got such a positive attitude and just carries on as normal.
“I know it’s going to get harder and he’s going to deteriorate. The inevitable will happen but we’re just living for the moment.
“I cook a mean roast so I’ll be doing a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.”
Alex has not asked for anything for Christmas but Beckie has a few ideas up her sleeve. There is talk of treating him to Lego or Xbox games.
But the main priority for the family this Christmas is for them all to be together.
Steve said: “Ultimately, we want him here for Christmas. If that means we need to have Christmas on December 5 then we’ll have Christmas on December 5.
Ex-Chelsea and England star Frank surprised Alex at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel near the London Eye.
He is a supporter of CLIC Sargent and has met other boys like Alex.
The pair chatted, mostly about football, and posed for photos together. Alex said: “It was cool to meet Frank because I love football.
“He was really nice and I liked chatting about different teams. But my favourite team is still Bristol.”
Frank, 39, is dad to two girls and his eldest is two years younger than Alex. Frank said: “Talk about inspiration. The situation he’s in is unthinkable. He’s aware, and his whole family are aware, but they’ve got the strength to deal with it.
“Becoming a dad changes you in many ways. You become much more emotional to these things.
“It’s really hard for anybody to try to understand where Alex is at because he’s having such a tough time. But he’s a very strong boy.
“The strength he’s shown is something I would find hard to do.
“To see a 13-year-old boy behaving the way he is and fighting the way he is just amazing. That’s a huge credit to him.”
CLIC Sargent was formed 12 years ago after Sargent Cancer Care For Children merged with CLIC, which stands for Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood. It helps around 3,800 children and young people over the festive period, in hospital and at home.
It has ten Home From Home centres for families to stay in near hospitals while their children are being treated.
The charity is dependent on donations and supports more than 7,000 families each year.
Frank said: “From knowing CLIC very personally and working with them, I know how much they care.
“I know that the bases that they cover sometimes go unnoticed.
“Christmas is a time when we should all take a moment to think about people who are in a different position to ourselves.
“If anybody can donate in any way to The Sun and CLIC Sargent’s appeal it would be fantastic.”
