Childhood cancer is not only physically painful; the ways that the disease changes your appearance can also be quite traumatizing. Seeing a classmate shave their head while undergoing chemotherapy might be hard to fathom for some young students, yet for 7-year-old Olly Spencer, of Anstey, Leicestershire, in the United Kingdom, he grasped its significance right away.
The boys, who attend Woolden Hill Primary School in Anstey, have since become the best of friends. “We play and work together at school,” Olly reports.
This incredible gesture has been widely praised, and the story was shared as a unique example of a selfless act of compassion. For the Hetherington family, it certainly came at the right time as they come to grips with the terrifying ordeal their young son is going through.
“Tommy-Lee was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which was totally unexpected,“ his mother, Kelly Hetherington, said. ”It devastated our family and turned our lives upside down overnight.”
The treatment for the disease, doctors estimated, would require at least three years. And it isn’t only chemotherapy that little Tommy-Lee has had to undergo. “He started his chemotherapy immediately with an intensive stage of steroids, blood transfusions and lumbar punctures.”
Throughout it all, his mom, Kelly, has been deeply impressed with her son’s resilience, describing him as “a real brave little soldier.”
Olly Spencer didn’t need to be an oncologist to see that his schoolmate was suffering and would need as much support as he could get. “When Tommy-Lee had no hair, it made me feel sad and I didn’t want him to be alone. I wanted to help Tommy-Lee as he has cancer and I wanted the cancer to go away,” Olly said.
As part of a desire to help his friend get better, Olly Spencer also raised over 1,200 pounds (US$1,473) for Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity that helps fund cancer treatment at the hospital where Tommy-Lee has been going. This involved participating in Macmillan’s popular fundraising campaign, “Brave the Shave,” which encourages people to solicit donations and then shave their head in honor of cancer patients.
“We are best friends and always look out for each other in everything we do,“ Olly explains. ”Tommy-Lee will always be my best friend and I will support him wherever I can.” Tommy-Lee’s family, who have been through an ordeal with all the complications of his diagnosis, were extremely appreciative of the gesture.
“It was an awesome thing to do I’m so very proud of Olly—he’s a smashing little lad,” Kelly Hetherington said.
As for Olly’s mom, Sally Spencer, she was naturally very proud of her son’s initiative. “When Olly made friends with Tommy-Lee, he soon realized something wasn’t right. He came to terms with knowing Tommy-Lee was ill, but didn’t know what the illness was,” she shared.
“We are all so proud of Olly, not only for being brave enough at his age to carry out such a daring event but also supporting his friend in a way that only true friends can,” she added.
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