Orkney’s generosity praised by family of young cancer warrior

The gift of giving is uppermost in many people’s minds at this time of year.

This can come in many forms – giving the gift of your time, your understanding, your love and, of course, presents under the Christmas tree.

The family of a young cancer warrior – Jamie Butcher (6) - have been overwhelmed by the generosity of folk in Orkney and elsewhere helping to raise money for the family and a cancer charity, Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly Clic Sargent).

They want to thank you all for the donations to their appeals, but also for the messages of support, offers of help, which is undoubtedly playing a part in carrying them through what can only be described as a nightmare since Jamie’s malignant brain tumour diagnosis in October.

Jamie’s Dad, Mark, launched Being Brave with Jamie to keep folk up to date with his treatment and progress – and within this he says “thank you from the bottom of my heart”.

Some of Jamie’s relatives live in Tankerness and they felt compelled to help in a practical way – initially launching a crowdfunder to ease the financial pressures being faced by the family – and there’s still time to donate to the family fundraiser. During the fundraiser, Jamie’s auntie Michelle, from Tankerness, had 12 inches chopped from her hair and donated this to the Little Princess Trust to make wigs for children.

It doesn’t end there however, as Michelle’s son and Jamie’s cousin, Matthew, who attends St Andrews Primary School, decided he would ‘brave the shave’ for the cancer charity that has helped the Butcher family in their time of need.

Through donations and gift aid, the total has reached  has reached £855 in just ten days – but there’s also still time to donate via JustGiving website.

Matthew, 11, keeps rubbing his head and says it feels like a tennis ball, but he is delighted and very grateful to the response to his fundraiser.

Jamie underwent neurosurgery to remove a malignant brain tumour in October when he was aged just 5 and spends most of his time in hospital undergoing a gruelling six-week course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

There is a stark reality to cancer treatments that many don’t realise – the constant work to try and keep on top of the sickness, the inevitable weightloss and requirement of a feeding tube for some, the tiredness, but also the inability to sleep at times.

Dad Mark says in the documented journey: “There are two Jamies. One is the Jamie that sleeps, sleeps and sleeps off his treatments. The other is the Jamie that comes alive again in the evening and is nocturnal!

“The dieticians have increased the calorific concentration of his liquid food that’s delivered via his nasal tube, and it appears to be a little too rich for his stomach making him sick so they are going to reduce the concentration again and feed it over a longer period of time.

“Jamie’s white cell count has taken a hit again this week (expectedly) so he will have to go back onto injections to help improve that, over the next few days. He absolutely hates them and screams the place down when he’s given them in his thighs.

“He also has low haemoglobin and so he will require another blood transfusion this week, which he will get tomorrow, before he comes home.”

There was some great news this weekend – Jamie has spent it with his family at home – some ‘normality’. But it’s back to hospital on Monday for his next round of radio and chemo.

The treatments wipe him out – and sleep is a welcome healer. But there’s something else that has been helping Jamie while in hospital and that’s Buddy a ‘Pets as Therapy’ dog.

Auntie Michelle said: “We are so grateful to everyone who has donated from family and friends to strangers and for the messages of support which mean so much to us and Jamie and his family. It really is incredible to know that so many people are wishing them well and willing him to get better.

“It’s difficult to put into words how proud we are of Jamie and his family for how they are dealing with this, and Matthew for his kindness and the want to do something to help even at the age of 11.”

Jamie’s family remain hopeful that he will be able to spend Christmas weekend at home, which is just outside Bath, but it will depend on how he is feeling at that time.

Michelle continued: “The family are all shielding in the hope that Jamie will be able to spend weekends when he is not receiving treatment at home. This means that Jamie’s Dad is juggling working from home while also home schooling the other children. Jamie’s Mum, Audrey, is spending as much time as possible with him at the hospital in Bristol. It’s heartbreaking for them all, but they are a strong family unit and are dealing with it together.”

Please continue to share folks to not only raise much-needed funds but also awareness of cancer in children.