These youngsters put health of others first – and that’s why they’re up for Who Cares Wins Award
OFTEN we think of children as the ones in need of help, but these youngsters have been doing the helping – and making a huge difference.
They go above and beyond to make sure that the people and places they love are taken care of.
Whittling down the incredible entries of under-18s for the Young Hero gong at The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards, was a tough job for our judges.
We’ve partnered with NHS Charities Together and The National Lottery to honour our incredible health heroes.
But these are the three that will attend a fabulous ceremony hosted by Davina McCall and screened on Channel 4 on September 18.
Here are our finalists…
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Oliver Voysey
WHEN specialist outdoor activity centre the Lake District Calvert Trust, announced it may not reopen after losing £1million over the lockdown, Oliver Voysey sprung into action.
The 14-year-old has four limb cerebral palsy, is registered blind and suffers from epilepsy – but he was determined nothing would stop him from saving the facility that has become a lifeline for him and other youngsters.
The heroic teenager raised more than £250,000 by completing a series of challenges that pushed him to his limits, including walking 13 steps across his living room.
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Oliver, who lives in Hexham, Northumberland, with mum Sarah, and dad Gary, both 46, and 11-year-old sister Elizabeth, suffered a catastrophic brain injury when he was just two days old.
A breathing issue caused him to lose so much brain tissue that he wasn’t expecting to survive, but he defied all odds – and has continued to do so ever since.
Oliver, who also has learning difficulties and autism, started attending The Lake District Calvert Trust in 2019 where he enjoyed rock climbing, abseiling and canoeing.
Mum Sarah, an environment agency worker said: “The world is not built for people in a wheelchair – but at the Calvert Trust, Oliver’s disabilities melt away and he can scramble up a rockface alongside his sister, or go canoeing with me and his dad.
“If the centre had shut down, Oliver’s haven, somewhere he feels the same as everyone else, would have gone.”
Oliver set up a GoFundMe page, with a goal of raising £25,000 – but the total now stands at £249,391.
Thousands of people from all over the world supported his crusade – known as Oliver’s Calvert Army – to stop the charity from closing.
Sarah said: “When Oliver was a baby, doctors told us that he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
“But it was only by using his disabilities that Oliver was able to raise such an extraordinary amount of money – none of us could have achieved that.
“I am incredibly proud of him, but more importantly, Oliver feels a genuine sense of pride, too.”
Oliver was nominated by former outdoor activity instructor Kirsty Smith – who once helped him reach the 451-metre summit of Catbells, in the Lake District.
Kirsty, 31, of Edinburgh, said: “Oliver is determined and his positive attitude to life is incredible.
“Thanks to Oliver, many families in the future will be able to access an outdoor centre that allows disabilities to disappear. It is an honour to know him.”
Oliver added: “The Calvert Trust was about to close and I wanted to raise £25,000. I walked 13 steps, ate 13 jaffa cakes and stood up for 13 seconds – it feels good to be nominated.”
Jayden Sorhaindo
QUICK-THINKING Jayden Sorhaindo saved her mum’s life after she suffered a head injury while getting into the bath.
The 11-year-old found mum Natasha, 42, unconscious and bleeding in February at their home in Richmond-Upon-Thames, South West London.
She immediately called 999, checked her breathing and held her head above the water until paramedics arrived – lifesaving skills she has learnt as a St John Ambulance Cadet.
Natasha, who has numerous health conditions, went to hospital where she needed stitches, and MRI and CT scan before being given the all-clear.
Jayden has been a young carer for her mum, who has auto-immune disorder lupus and heart failure, since the age of seven.
Natasha said: “I spend most of my days bedbound and my life wouldn’t be worth living without Jayden.
“She calls the ambulance on an almost fortnightly basis and always has my bag packed and does a handover to the paramedics when I need to go into hospital.
“We’re trying to make the best out of a very unpredictable illness.
“I try and stay hopeful that better days will come even though most days I wish the suffering would just end.
“I know I’d have no fight left in me if it wasn’t for Jayden.”
Kind-hearted Jayden has been nominated for the Young Hero award by her cadet youth leader, Shona Serpant, 55, from Feltham, West London, who said: “I’ve known Jayden since she was eight and she’s quite simply amazing.
“She’s got so much going on at home caring for her mum but she’s just as dedicated and caring at St John Ambulance.
I want to be a heart surgeon when I grow up so I can try and find a cure for heart failure to help Mum”
Jayden
“If there are new cadets she always takes them under her wing, she volunteers for everything, she’s always got a smile on her face.
“She’s got such a bright future ahead of her, she definitely deserves this award.”
Not only does Jayden help to look after her mum, she also cares for her two-year-old sister Kayla-Diamond too.
Jayden said: “I want to be a heart surgeon when I grow up so I can try and find a cure for heart failure to help Mum.
“It’s not always easy looking after Mum but I love her so much. I know my days aren’t like my friends’, but I don’t mind.
“I make mum tea and toast in the morning, then get her tablets sorted before I go to school.
“After school we sit together while I do my homework then we watch TV together.
“I love helping mum but calling the ambulance can be a bit scary.
“It’s such an honour to be nominated. Mum tells me every day I’m amazing but being recognised for something I love doing would be incredible.”
River Rhodes
DESPITE undergoing gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy for a tumour in his eye, seven-year-old River Rhodes still finds time to support other sick youngsters.
His positive attitude has captured the hearts of the nation – and top footballers, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire.
River, from Wolverhampton, began meeting a host of the game’s heroes after being diagnosed with a rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancerous tumour, in October 2021.
His dad Ryan, 38, a car salesman, and mum Kerry, 43, who runs her own arts and crafts business, wanted to put a positive spin on the journey ahead by making the footie mad lad’s dreams come true.
River, known as River the Champ to his 53,000 Instagram followers, has been nominated by Amy Thurston for supporting her six-year-old son Dougie who also has cancer.
He arranged for Harry Maguire to send Dougie, who was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour, a video message.
The two boys met while they were both having treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Amy, 39, from Newtown, Powys, Wales, said: “Dougie’s diagnosis was terrifying, but River became a real anchor for him.
“Their treatment cycles aligned and so Dougie associated treatment with being able to see River – who he adores – rather than painful chemotherapy.
“Dougie’s quiet and was a bit scared at first being on the ward but River made a point of coming to see him if he couldn’t get out of bed every time that he was there.
“He’d bring a football if Dougie was well enough or would bring toys and games if he was bedbound.
“River got Harry Maguire to send a video of him wishing Dougie a happy birthday in July, which meant the world to him.
He only ever wants to help people”
Kerry, River's mum
“River made such a difference to Dougie’s cancer journey. It turned something dreadful into something Dougie looked forward to because treatment meant seeing River.
“He cheered him up if he was feeling low, all while having treatment himself.”
Dougie finished treatment in April this year but River is still undergoing chemotherapy.
River’s mum Kerry said what he did for Dougie was typical of her big-hearted lad.
She said: “River’s such a kind and caring boy.
“He only ever wants to help people and when he saw Dougie was a big football fan, he made sure he chatted to him about football and distracted him to make sure he was OK.
“He’ll do anything for anyone and because he’s gotten to know some of the big footballers like Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish through his social media, he wanted to get Dougie a video to cheer him up and wish him a happy birthday.
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“He’s got four months left of active treatment and finishes in November where he’ll go on to having an MRI every three months for the next two years.
“Being nominated means the world to him. He’s an amazing boy and I couldn’t be prouder of him.”