Special Christmas lights switch on held by young cancer survivor in Redruth
Liam has been raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust
Last updated 6th Dec 2021
A special Christmas lights switch on has taken place in Redruth, hosted by a young cancer survivor.
Liam Howell held the event to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust who have been supporting him through his diagnosis.
Liam was just 21 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year.
He was at University in London in 2020 when he started to become unwell, he was told that the lump he found was an ear infection and after going back and forth a few times he was finally diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in October 2020, whilst back at university.
Liam started treatment at Treslike Hospital in Truro and underwent gruelling chemotherapy treatment.
He was supported by Teenage Cancer Trust who helped him and his family emotionally and physically, with things such as a hospital room, a grant for parking at the hospital and helping with travel arrangements.
So Liam set himself a target of raising £2,000 to say thank you.
In memory of Liam's Papa
Liam and his family decided to bring back their Christmas light display outside their house to raise money for the charity, and the idea is a cause very close to his heart.
The lights display used to be an annual event hosted by Liam's Papa (Grandfather) to help spread Christmas cheer during the festive season.
However, Liam’s Papa was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and unfortunately passed away, and the family decided at that point to do one last light display in aid of his Papa; they raised over £2,000 for a cancer charity.
When Liam got diagnosed with cancer in 2020, the Howell family decided that they should get the light display back up and running and this time to fundraise for Teenage Cancer Trust as the charity supported Liam through his own tough time with cancer.
Support from the Teenage Cancer Trust
Liam and family are hoping to raise over £2,000 to support Teenage Cancer Trust and their vital services for young people with cancer.
On being supported by Teenage Cancer Trust, Liam said:
“Teenage Cancer Trust helped me feel supported throughout my cancer treatment and I feel as though I would’ve had a harder journey without their support in making me feel as comfortable as possible. It is the little things they do to support that make such a difference.
“I had my own separate room away from the main bay of the hospital and had a specialist youth coordinator called Nicola who supported me and cared for me which was amazing. She made me feel less lonely.”
"I wanted to bring light back into people's lives"
Liam said: “The Christmas lights are a chance for my family to come together and bring some light into other people’s lives who may be struggling over the festive period. The lights symbolise solidarity and unity in my family as they all came together to help me through my treatment.
“Bringing the lights back after 7 years is something I want to do as last Christmas I was amid having Chemotherapy and meant I was really unwell and not with my family around the holiday season. This year I want it to be bigger and better than ever and what better charity than Teenage Cancer Trust to raise money for this time around!"
He told us at the event: "This one was more important for me because I wanted to bring light back into people's lives, obviously everyone has had a glum 18 months, and with me going through all that as well, I thought why not pay back the charity that has helped me so much."
His dad Andrew added: "It's not just the stuff at the hospital, they might send somebody a cheque for the travel or the parking, that stuff you don't think of when you hit a diagnosis like that. Liam is in remission now but they're still supporting him, them and the cancer team at Treliske are just out-of-this-world amazing.!
How to support Liam's fundraiser
Teenage Cancer Trust’s vital services for young people with cancer are entirely dependent on fundraised income and the money raised will be used by Teenage Cancer Trust to fund specialist hospital units, nurses and youth workers across the UK that provide outstanding age-appropriate care and emotional support to those in need.
Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “Cancer is tough. But Teenage Cancer Trust’s work puts young people in the best possible place, physically, mentally and emotionally, for their cancer treatment and beyond. We do that by funding expert nurses, support teams, and hospital units. And we're the only UK charity dedicated to providing this specialised nursing. A huge and heartfelt thank you to Liam and his family from everyone at Teenage Cancer Trust to everyone involved.”
To find out how to fundraise or make a donation for Teenage Cancer Trust, visit - www.teenagecancertrust.org
You can also check out Liam’s Just Giving page here and donate.