An inspirational teen sportsman enjoyed a dream night out at the AO Arena last Friday, after receiving an award following months of treatment for a brain tumour.
Thomas Jackson, who plays as a wicket keeper batter for Lancashire Cricket at County Age Group level, was treated to the night out by the online electricals retailer after he was honoured with the AO Recovery of the Year award last year.
The 16-year-old enjoyed a special VIP experience at Hits Radio Live at the AO Arena in Manchester, on Friday, November 11, which boasted a line-up of big-name pop acts including Sam Smith, Olly Murs and Craig David.
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In 2020, Thomas was diagnosed with a Medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumour which affects muscle coordination, balance, and movement. His intense treatment has involved a trial period of proton beam therapy, followed by chemotherapy from January to October last year.
As sponsors of Lancashire Cricket Age Group and Medical Teams, AO were made aware of Thomas’ inspiring story and blown away by his courage and determination.
Thomas has received a whole host of support from the world of cricket during his battle, including teammates from club and county level, as well as video messages from famous faces such as Lancashire’s James Anderson, Jos Buttler and former England Test captain, Joe Root.
Following his award win at Lancashire Cricket’s End of Season Awards, the AO team promised Thomas and his family a night to remember in their hospitality suite at the arena.
The Hits Radio Live event was the ideal opportunity to invite the family down as special guests, since one of Thomas’ favourite acts, YouTube star and musician KSI, was performing.
The teams at the AO Arena and Hits Radio offered a full VIP treatment for the group, with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go backstage and meet one of the stars, Olly Murs.
Thomas said: “I really enjoyed our night at Hits Live and it was amazing to see all the different acts. I’m grateful to everyone who helped organise it.”
The teen cricket has been described as an ‘inspiration’ by John Roberts, CEO and Founder of AO, while Paul Gerrard, Programme Director for Hits Radio said: “After hearing Thomas’ story, we were really keen to do all we could to help make his visit to Hits Live even more special. We hope he enjoyed his visit backstage and a very special meet and greet with one of our artists on the night, Olly Murs. We certainly enjoyed meeting Tom and his family.”
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