Brave Brandon, 4, nominated for award
ABRAVE little Wymondham boy who is battling leukaemia has been nominated for an award.Four-year-old Brandon McKibben is unable to enjoy a normal childhood as the treatment he receives for the illness leaves him weak and unable to walk very far.
ABRAVE little Wymondham boy who is battling leukaemia has been nominated for an award.
Four-year-old Brandon McKibben is unable to enjoy a normal childhood as the treatment he receives for the illness leaves him weak and unable to walk very far.
But mum Toni McKibben, 21, of Barnham Broom Road, said she has been astounded at the courage Brandon has shown as he faced up to his cancer fight.
Mrs McKibben said: “We are just so proud of how brave he has been throughout all of his treatment so far.
“He does not sit there and moan about what is happening, he knows what has to be done and just gets on with it. He is coping really well with everything.”
Toni and her husband, Brandon's dad, Iain, have been so impressed with their little lad's courage that they have nominated him in the Brave Child of the Year category of the Norwich Evening News' Local Hero Awards.
Most Read
- 1 Man assaults delivery driver and runs off with sack of parcels
- 2 Lotus reopens Norfolk test-track driving experiences and factory tour
- 3 Serious road crash hotspots in Norfolk revealed as fatalities fall
- 4 Motorcyclist suffers serious leg injury and person cut from car after crash
- 5 Norfolk garden centre wins 27th gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show
- 6 'A posy fit for a Queen' - Winners crowned in school Jubilee competition
- 7 Education bursary worth £1,000 launched to mark Queen's Jubilee
- 8 Where you can see the Red Arrows over Norfolk this weekend
- 9 9 major jubilee events taking place across Norfolk
- 10 Person released from car and road closed after two-vehicle crash
The young couple are constantly in and out of hospital with their only child. He is on several courses of chemotherapy and he will be on the three-year treatment programme for another two years.
Brandon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in March 2007. He underwent intensive treatment for just under a year with lots of chemotherapy.
Now he is given oral chemotherapy at home every day and another form of chemotherapy drug every Wednesday.
He then has to undergo chemotherapy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital every four weeks where he is also given his next course of steroids, and every 12 weeks he has to go to hospital for more chemotherapy.
His treatment will continue until at least 2010, when he will be six-and-a-half.
Bernard Matthews is sponsoring the Brave Child of the Year category. Lorna Cousins, marketing communications manager, said: “It is a real privilege to be sponsoring this award, which gives us the unique chance to say 'thank you' to the amazing children in our area who have shown exceptional courage in the face
of very challenging circumstances.
The awards evening will be held at the Holiday Inn at Norwich International Airport, an associate sponsor of the awards, on Thursday, October 23.
