Diagnosed with an aggressive childhood cancer, at one point Christian Blandford was given just a 5% chance of survival.
While barely a toddler at 18 months-old, he endured months of gruelling treatment spending weeks at either the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton or, in emergencies when his temperature suddenly rose, at St George’s Hospital, Tooting.
Showing extraordinary bravery, he battled through the year-long treatment and was finally given the all clear - only to suffer a terrible relapse in November 2006 when the cancer spread to a bone in his leg.
His second round of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 2007 was even more intensive and demanding than the first. Further seemingly endless rounds of hospital visits and check-ups followed until finally he was given the all-clear in September 2007.
Today, watching him perform at Stagecoach Tonbridge and taking full part in the regular weekly classes, it’s hard to believe he’s endured such a harrowing journey.
Bright and popular, he’s often the first to pick up new dance routines and always speaks up loudly and confidently in drama and sings with gusto in music.
In Stagecoach Tonbridge’s end-of-year summer presentation Musical Mania, Christian almost single-handedly stole the show playing Rum Tum Tugger as he won a dance-off against a Michael Jackson dancer in one of the most memorable moments of the performance in front of an audience of more than 100.
More than this, Christian enjoys school life to the full and leads as normal a life as any other seven year-old boy. Apart from painting and playing with his puppy Twiggy, his main interest is dancing and even as he was recovering from strength-sapping chemo and radiotherapy he brightened up his family, doctors and nurses and all those around him with his own Michael Jackson dancing, perfected during hours of practice.
In short, Christian is a true inspiration who has shown courage of the highest order through the most critical of conditions.
There is ample evidence of how he has inspired others on his website www.christianblandford.com, set up by his parents Peter and Claudia partly so family and supporters could follow how he was getting on.
It’s also been the focal point for fund-raising to improve he comfort of children and their families, particularly those affected by cancer, during prolonged stays in NHS hospitals. So far, that fund-raising for the Christian Blandford Fund has amounted to a phenomenal £200,000 – a remarkable achievement for anyone by any standards, let alone a boy still at primary school!
Among the fund-raising activities have been people taking part in the Etape du Tour bike ride over 112 miles plus three mountain climbs in the Pyrenees, numerous fun runs and half-marathons, and all sorts of other charitable endeavours.
The website has a following of hundreds and is a testament to the super-human bravery of Christian who beams out from every photo even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Here are some of the key moments in Christian’s astonishing story of momentous courage:
February 2005 – Diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney following weeks of uncertainty over a lump in his tummy. Age 18 months.
23rd February 2005 - A tumour weighing a tenth of his body weight was removed along with one of his kidneys (?) during a five-hour operation. Christian makes “record-breaking recovery” and is allowed home after three days.
March – October 2005 - There are almost daily trips to either the Royal Marsden or St George’s Hospital as Christian undergoes chemotherapy and suffers numerous complications. During this time the Christian Blandford Fund is launched to improve conditions at St George’s Hospital which while having state-of-the-art medical facilities lacks many amenities for patients and their families.
November 2006 – After a year of peace, a bone scan plunges the family into a new ordeal as a problem in his left leg is discovered. Doctors decide Christian needs a strong dose of chemotherapy every three weeks for 21 weeks followed by larger dose which will wipe out his bone marrow. In preparation healthy bone marrow is removed before the treatment starts for a future stem cell transplant.
March 31st 2007 – Christian has last dose of chemo at the Royal Marsden. But a second programme of treatment starts within days.
April 28th 2007 – Christian is on almost round-the-clock chemotherapy, plus other drugs to fight infection. Despite this he manages to entertain other children in the St George’s playroom.
4th May 2007 – Christian has stem cell transplant to rebuild immunity.
13th May 2007 – Christian on intravenous morphine for pain
24th May – Christian goes home after four weeks and a day in hospital
June 14th – Radiotherapy begins
July 5th - Last session of radiotherapy.
September 2007 – Brilliant news as bone scan and CT scan show Christian is clear of cancer!
Now three years into remission, Christian leads a full life while he continues to inspire an increasing number of people. Fund-raising for his fund grows on an almost daily basis while facilities for patients and families at St George’s Hospital have been transformed with the opening of a Children Development Centre, to which Christian’s fund contributed £100,000.
Here are some of the other benefits:
• All patient rooms on Pinkney Ward now have wall mounted flat screen TVs and DVD players
• A large flat screen TV and new sofa beds has been installed in the parents’ room
• A number of hand held computer games, games consoles and games have been purchased for use by Pinckney patients.
• A portable ultrasound machine has been purchased to allow patients to be scanned on the ward at a cost of £23k, saving unnecessary trips to other departments.
It is doubtful all this would have been achieved but for the amazing courage shown by Christian against what seemed like almost impossible odds, supported by the love and dedication of his parents.
I can think of no other more worthy recipient of a Stagecoach Award for Bravery than Christian who thoroughly deserves the highest recognition for courage.