I recovered from cancer twice- now I'm hosting a ball for the hospital staff who cared for me

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Hamish Graham, 28 years old from Littleborough in Greater Manchester, has been under the care of The Christie hospital since he was seven years old

This was after being diagnosed with a rare medulloblastoma brain tumour in 2003. Hamish was successfully treated, but several years later, in May 2020, he faced another life-threatening challenge when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

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Hamish has now completed his treatment thanks to care from the teenage and young adult (TYA) team at The Christie Hospital. To say thanks to those who looked after him, Hamish is hosting an extravagant charity ball. Hamish said: “I was so well looked after by the wonderful teams at The Christie hospital and Pendlebury Children’s Hospital for my first cancer diagnosis, aged seven. Despite the tough battles and the challenges growing up, I lived life to the fullest and even landed my dream job in a cinema.

“The second diagnosis in 2020 came as a shock, but the support from the TYA team at The Christie during the pandemic was incredible. I finished four cycles of chemotherapy followed by maintenance chemotherapy for three years.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

“As well as the usual side effects of losing more weight, losing my hair and generally feeling unwell, I also had some bad reactions to medication and several infections which meant more time in hospital. The treatment was really tough, but the TYA staff remembered me from my earlier treatment, which made things a bit easier.”

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Sarah, Hamish’s mum, has got to know the team well over the years, as she said: “The TYA service at The Christie felt like a home-from-home for us, and the support of the team has been invaluable. I am so proud of how Hamish has coped with being diagnosed with cancer twice, especially during the pandemic.

“His determination to give back to The Christie and the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) through fundraising has been inspiring. Hanna Simpson (the TCT Lead Nurse) kept both Hamish and me sane. She was the glue that kept everything together.

“Always available, always calm and Hamish's refers to her as his second mum. All the staff at the TYA unit treated Hamish like their own. Hamish is on quarterly check-ups at the moment after finishing chemo in December and he is starting back on growth hormone. Plus, he is on annual check-ups for his brain tumour.

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“Had Hamish been treated like an adult the whole process would have been so much more traumatic. The Christie’s specialist TYA unit really does offer an invaluable service to teenagers and young adults.”

‘Hamish’s Marvellous Night Out’ will celebrate the end of Hamish’s cancer treatment and aims to raise £25,000, which will be shared between The Christie’s Teenage and Young Adult Unit (TYA) and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

To date, Hamish and his supporters have raised over £38,000. The up-and-coming charity ball aims to continue this momentum. Hosted by Hits Radio presenter Mike Toolan, Hamish’s Marvellous Night Out will feature a live band, a DJ set, a silent auction with ‘money can’t buy’ prizes, a drinks reception, a raffle, and more.

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