A Northern Ireland child diagnosed with cancer on the same day as his grandmother's funeral has inspired an awareness drive highlighting the work of a local charity.
Theo Watt had always been an athletic, energetic little boy, and his parents first noticed a change at the end of May 2022 when his mood and behaviour changed. However, given his age of 11, it was put down to puberty.
A sore chest following a school trip was put down to a pulled muscle and tiredness which impacted on his ability to do everyday activities was attributed to a viral infection.
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In mid-July, Theo was sleeping a lot and he was very pale, spiking temperatures on a daily basis. After going through blood tests and a visit to Craigavon Area Hospital, Theo was transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children where he underwent more tests and a bone marrow biopsy before being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia on July 22.
To make a difficult situation even harder, Theo’s grandmother was buried on this day, following her unexpected death on the July 19.
Theo's brother, Jonathan Watt, who is a Road Racing Champion decided to support Cancer Fund for Children after seeing first-hand the support they offered on the ward to children impacted by cancer. He recently announced 13-year-old Aiden MacDougall as the winner of his helmet design competition.
Jonathan, 29, created the competition last year to give the young people supported by Cancer Fund for Children the chance to design the helmet he would wear during his 2023 racing season. After receiving countless designs and opening the decision to a public vote, Aiden was chosen as the winning artist.
Jonathan said: "After seeing the charity work in the hospital and hearing from my mother about all the things they were doing, I knew I wanted to do something to help raise awareness. Cancer Fund for Children are hands on and you can see the impact they have.
"Road racing is a huge sport in Ireland and it has a fantastic community behind it. If even just a handful of people involved see my helmet and learn more about the charity, it would be great."
Speaking about the final helmet, Aiden said: "Wow. That’s awesome! I’m so happy. Thank you Jonathan for this great opportunity to promote awareness of children impacted by cancer."
Phil Alexander, CEO of Cancer Fund for Children said: "Jonathan, Theo and his family have been through the hardest thing anyone could have to face and the fact that they are using this experience to help us reach more people and support more children is humbling. We wish Jonathan all the best in his racing season this Summer and hope the helmet gives him some extra good luck."
If you would like to donate, please contact the charity on 028 9080 5599 or donate online at cancerfundforchildren.com.
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