https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/press-releases/hospital-patients-and-staff-receive-wellchild-awards/

Hospital patients and staff receive WellChild Awards

12 Sep 2013, 1:07 p.m.

WellChild Nikki Christou

His Royal Highness Prince Harry, patron of WellChild, the charity for sick children, recognised staff and patients from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) with awards for their bravery and exceptional contributions. 

The awards were presented at the eighth annual WellChild Awards ceremony on 11 September 2013 at the Dorchester Hotel on London’s Park Lane.

The WellChild Awards celebrate the courage of children coping with serious illnesses or complex conditions, as well as showing appreciation to those dedicated to going the extra mile to help these children and their families. Winners Hollie Green – sibling of former GOSH cancer patient Danny – and GOSH patients Nikki Christou and Jonathan He, along with GOSH Bereavement Service Manager Rachel Cooke and HIV Clinical Nurse Specialist Margaret Clapson, attended the ceremony to collect their awards.

Hollie Green, a 16-year-old from Essex, was nominated for the ‘Most Caring Child’ by GOSH Nurse Chloe Dewar who treated Hollie’s brother, Danny, for cancer. Danny was diagnosed with medulloblastoma – an aggressive form of brain cancer - and was treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Hollie would visit him every weekend, as well as calling him from school every morning and lunchtime whilst in the middle of her GCSE exams. Danny unfortunately lost his fight with cancer in July 2012. However, this did not stop his sister from continuing to help; this Christmas, Hollie returned to the ward to give out presents to the children and has set up a charity in Danny’s name to support research into children’s brain tumours.

GOSH Nurse Chloe Dewar said: "Hollie is the most caring young woman who made such a difference to her brother and has shown exceptional strength of character throughout. She really deserves this recognition for all she has done and continues to do for Danny's sake."

Nine-year-old Nikki Christou received an award after being nominated for the ‘Most Inspirational Child’ by her consultant, GOSH Dermatologist Mary Glover. Nikki suffers from arteriovenous malformation which leads to high-risk bleeding around the face. Her condition has led her to lose sight in one eye, and she needs constant treatments and repeated emergency hospital admissions to stem violent bleeding.  Nikki has had to give up her favourite activities like dancing and has only been able to attend a quarter of the school year. Despite these setbacks, Nikki has focused her attention on fundraising to help research into this incurable condition, for which she has already raised an astonishing £70,000.

GOSH Consultant Dermatologist Mary Glover said: "Nikki is remarkable in the way she remains calm and tries to make things better for those around her, including the doctors and nurses, even when dealing with traumatic symptoms and procedures. She has a remarkable ability to rise above her own hardship.”

GOSH patient Jonathan He, 6, was recognised for his overwhelming courage and ability to see the positive in even the most difficult situations in the face of x-linked chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a severe and life-threatening illness.

GOSH Clinical Nurse Specialist Margaret Clapson was awarded for her outstanding contribution to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. Recognised in nursing as a passionate, committed and expert leader in this field, Margaret has also volunteered to share her expertise to help children in Africa.

Last of the GOSH nominees was Bereavement Service Manager Rachel Cooke  who was nominated for her ‘Impact in Child Health’ by Fiona Smith, Adviser in Children and Young People’s Nursing at The Royal College of Nursing. Rachel has developed many services to support children and families with complex health needs and now manages the Bereavement Services at GOSH along with the national Child Death Helpline.

Nominator Fiona Smith said: “Rachel is unassuming and humble about her considerable achievements and really deserves this recognition for the impact she has had on the lives of so many families.”

WellChild’s Director of Programmes, Linda Partridge said: “The Awards are a perfect demonstration of WellChild’s commitment to helping as many seriously ill children and their families as we can through our programmes of care, support and research and embody our aim of raising awareness of the needs of people who are too often overlooked.”

Contact Information

For further information, please contact Melanie Vessey at the GOSH-ICH Press Office on 020 7239 3043, melanie.vessey@gosh.nhs.uk.
For genuine and urgent out-of-hours queries call switchboard on 020 7405 9200.

Notes to Editors

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust is the country’s leading centre for treating sick children, with the widest range of specialists under one roof.
With the UCL Institute of Child Health, we are the largest centre for paediatric research outside the US and play a key role in training children’s health specialists for the future.
Our charity needs to raise £50 million every year to help rebuild and refurbish Great Ormond Street Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research. With your help we provide world class care to our very ill children and their families.