A CHARITY is calling on south Essex to unite and send hundreds of Christmas cards to a teenage boy battling cancer for the third time.
The Benfleet branch of Bone Cancer Research Trust have launched a Christmas card appeal for 15-year-old Aidan Waller to help brighten his Christmas as well as raising vital funds for the charity.
Aidan is currently facing his third battle with cancer after scans earlier this year found he had tumours in his lungs.
The Benfleet 15-year-old was first diagnosed in 2022 and underwent surgery to remove his femur and his knee with a metal prosthetic, undergoing further surgery last year when it was found cancer spread to his hip to remove the socket and ball joint.
Currently Aidan is on a trial drug and is three months into treatment.
Mum, Sarah Waller, said: “What we are doing is making the appeal fundraiser a priority, because it is for bone cancer research and it is bringing a bit of joy to him, it is giving Aidan something to look forward to.
“We did it for his birthday in 2022 and the ultimate thing is that the stamps themselves will raise money.
“You always have a lingering fear sitting at the back of your mind, as such, we try to make life as positive for Aidan as possible, if you speak to him, he has the will to live and even if he was told it is ‘game over’, he has said he would ‘just live’.”
Despite this, Sarah added that there are somethings Aidan will never be able to do again, such as go on a trampoline or bouncy castle, due to his surgery.
Terri Bush, a member of Bone Cancer Research Trust, is organising the fundraiser which will see cards sent to Aiden and the stamps collected to raise cash for the charity.
He said: “People send us the cards and stamps, we sort them and we sell them to a wonderful buyer, the more stamps we get the better.
“That money goes into research and supporting families going through this, we will be sending the Christmas cards to him.”
To join in the appeal, email charitystampappeal@gmail.com for further details.
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