Please, help me make sure the Kids Are Alright & donate the price of a coffee

I AM really proud of what The Who have achieved. From playing the biggest festivals, such as Monterey, Woodstock, Live Aid and Live 8, to selling over 100million records, we’ve had an amazing career.

But my work with Teenage Cancer Trust feels more like my purpose in life. It is my passion and drive.

Teenage Cancer Trust

I am really proud of what The Who have achieved, but my work with Teenage Cancer Trust is my passion and drive[/caption]

And right now, after a year of this dreadful pandemic and a £6million drop in revenue, this charity and the young people it supports need our help more than ever.

Teenage Cancer Trust’s dedicated nurses and support teams across the UK have worked tirelessly to get teenagers and young people with cancer through the hardest times of their lives.

Their work and expertise are absolutely vital, because having cancer is different when you are young. The toll that aggressive treatments can have on your physical and mental health can be devastating.

As the charity’s honorary patron, I’ve been touched by so many remarkable moments of courage from the young people I’ve met over the years.

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Donate now at teenagecancertrust.org/helpnow

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But there’s one particular girl that I will never forget — her name was Amy Howarth.

Amy was only 18 when she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, and she was 20 when she shared her moving story in a film directed by This Is England’s Shane Meadows that we showed in the interval of our Royal Albert Hall fundraising concert in 2014.

We have teenagers going through cancer treatment come along to the shows every night.

I asked Amy if she would lead them all on to stage after the film was shown.

Getty - Contributor

As the charity’s honorary patron, I’ve been touched by so many remarkable moments of courage from the young people I’ve met over the years[/caption]

Len Howarth

But there’s one particular girl that I will never forget, her name was Amy Howarth who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour[/caption]

Number diagnosed rising year on year

Due to her physical deterioration, she was in a wheelchair and she was terrified. I said to her: “Amy, you’re the star of our film, this is your night!”

I told her: “Being on stage at the Royal Albert Hall is a moment in your life you’ll never forget, looking out at all those people who are here to support you, and the charity.”

She was as nervous as anything but eventually her dad Len wheeled her on to the stage with all the other teenagers and to everyone’s amazement, in front of an audience of 6,000 people, Amy stood up.

I’ll never forget the smile on her face. It was extraordinary to see the courage of the girl. Amy achieved her ambition to live to see her 21st birthday, but after the celebrations she died within days.

She is one of many reasons I feel so passionately that there should be more money spent on research into cancer in young people. The latest figures from Cancer Research in the US have shown a significant increase of cancer in younger age groups over the past ten years. And here in the UK, the number diagnosed has been rising year on year.

But we don’t yet know enough about why young people get cancer, and we need to develop more effective treatments that don’t take such a harsh physical toll.

My view is that some of the bigger charities aren’t investing as much money as they should into researching cancers in children and young people, and that needs to change.

Len Howarth

Amy shared her moving story in a film directed by Shane Meadows that we showed in the interval of our Royal Albert Hall fundraising concert in 2014[/caption]

Getty

After a year of this dreadful pandemic and a £6million drop in revenue, this charity and the young people it supports need our help more than ever[/caption]

Their argument is that cancer mainly affects older people, so that’s where the money for research is best spent. My argument is that cancer in young people is far rarer, but for their sake we have to spend money on researching how to save their lives too, as too many young lives are being cut short.

I’d love to see the big charities working with Teenage Cancer Trust more on this issue and we have started discussions with a number of them to ensure that child and young adult cancer gets more focus and hopefully a bigger portion of research budgets.

My team and I have put on a week of gigs at the Royal Albert Hall for the past 20 years. As well as raising more than £30million, they keep the charity in the public eye.

In the past we’ve featured artists including Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher and Kelly Jones, plus the best of British comedy. And this month The Who were set to headline the 2021 series with a full orchestra.

But due to Covid, we had to cancel the entire week for a second year in a row, which has been incredibly frustrating for me — and devastating for Teenage Cancer Trust. In fact, at the start of this pandemic when fundraising income dropped off a cliff, we asked ourselves how we would survive.

Well, I’m relieved to say that with careful management and, sadly, some redundancies, we’ve kept going. So much of the world’s focus this year has been on coronavirus, but cancer hasn’t gone away, and the pandemic has made treatment for young people even tougher.

Any patient having radiotherapy or chemotherapy is doubly immuno-compromised, so most young people with cancer have had to shield at home this past year.

This is at a time in their lives where they are just spreading their wings, and social contact is really important to their mental well-being.

PA

Any patient having radiotherapy or chemotherapy is doubly immuno-compromised, so most young have had to shield at home this past year[/caption]

A hug and a hand to hold

And now, because of restrictions on mixing between patients in hospitals, these young people have had fewer chances to chat and make friends with others their own age going through treatment.

On top of that, due to visitor restrictions, they have had to go through gruelling treatments without having the comfort of Mum and Dad by their side.

Excuse the pun on one of The Who’s greatest songs, but The Kids Are Definitely Not Alright. So it is shocking that in a time when mental well-being is classed as so important, Teenage Cancer Trust research has found that a lot of young people have been missing out on counselling and therapy.

That’s simply not acceptable in my book and is something the charity and I will be campaigning to change this year.

Thank goodness for the Teenage Cancer Trust-funded nurses and youth support teams in NHS hospitals who have worked right the way through this pandemic and kept young people afloat.

They are absolute heroes, and I am in awe of their work. They have been that special someone to talk to for reassurance in times of distress. They provide a hug and a hand to hold for the many young people who can’t have their loved ones with them.

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The Teenage Cancer Trust-funded nurses and youth support teams in NHS hospitals are absolute heroes, I am in awe of their work[/caption]

And our youth support teams have been organising virtual support groups and fun events to bring young people together with others who understand exactly what they are going through, helping to ease some of the crushing loneliness they feel.

But it might surprise you that, despite providing vital support within the NHS, all of this is funded by people like you. I’m ready to get out on stage again. And, when we can, The Who will be back at the Albert Hall singing for the Teenage Cancer Trust louder and prouder than ever.

Until then, I know times are tough, but if everyone just donated the price of a cup of coffee or two, it would help us make sure that the Kids Are Alright.