Ten-year-old Caden Moore, a stem cell transplant recipient from Ballymoney has been honoured by blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, at a digital awards celebration where celebrity presenters included Oscar winner Olivia Colman and comedians Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar.
Caden Moore was commended in the John Petchey Young Hero of the Year award category at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards which took place on Thursday 11th February.
The prestigious Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards were back for their eighth year and recognised the outstanding achievements of the volunteers, fundraisers, clinical supporters and donors who help the pioneering blood cancer charity save lives.
The awards ceremony is usually held at the Tower of London, but with mass gatherings of this nature currently unable to take place there was be a digital celebration instead. Other presenters also included TV doctor Dr Ranj, actress and author Carrie Hope Fletcher, TV presenters Ria Hebden, Joe Crowley and Lucy Siegle, actress Kellie Shirley and actor Tom Austen.
Caden, ten, from Ballymoney was diagnosed with very severe Aplastic Anaemia on 8th June 2017, and on 28th July 2017 he received a stem cell transplant from his older brother.
When Caden was first diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia, he needed to travel to three different hospitals for treatment. He left his home in Ballymoney and travelled to the Causeway Hospital, Coleraine. A few days later, he left Causeway Hospital and was transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, before, eventually going to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in England, for his life-saving stem cell transplant. This journey was a total of 530km.
Last year, to celebrate how far Caden has come in the three years since his diagnosis, he and his family set themselves a challenge to complete the same distance (530km) in the same time frame (51 days) by walking, running, rowing, surfing, swimming, cycling and any other creative way they could think of.
Speaking about the challenge, Caden’s mum, Sabrina, said: ‘We felt that it was very important to recognise the work of three charities – Angel Wishes, The Aplastic Anaemia Trust and Anthony Nolan. They have been very close to our hearts since Caden’s diagnosis and we want to support the amazing work that these charities do. This is a very difficult time, due to Covid-19, and these charities need our support now, more than ever.
‘At the beginning of 2020, our friends from university set themselves monthly, #ChallengesForCaden, and have been fundraising for Caden’s chosen charities. When Caden wanted to start his own challenge, we had around 100 friends and family sign up to do it with us!’
The Challenge raised over £9,000 and was split between his three charities
Caden said: ‘When mummy told me, I was nominated for this special award, I was shocked and very surprised; I couldn’t believe it! I was a very lucky boy; my brother was my bone marrow match, and he is my hero. I just want to help other people to find their hero. I am super excited about the awards night and wish everyone good luck. Thank you Anthony Nolan for helping people like me have another chance at life.”
Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “It is remarkable to see how many people support our work to find a match for those in need of a stem cell transplant. Without them, none of our life-saving work would be possible.
“Caden has shown tremendous commitment to Anthony Nolan by completing such a difficult challenge and by inspiring so many others to join him on his fundraising journey.”
Anthony Nolan is the charity that finds matching stem cell donors for people with blood cancer and blood disorders and gives them a second chance at life. It also carries out ground-breaking research to save more lives and provide information and support to patients after a stem cell transplant, through its clinical nurse specialists and psychologists, who help guide patients through their recovery.
To see all the videos, and find out more about the charity visit www.anthonynolan.org/awards
