Teens rally round pal
Schoolkids rally around their friend who is struck down with cancer again
A group of big- hearted schoolboys braved the shave at the weekend in an act of true friendship.
The teenagers, who attend mainly Holy Cross High in Hamilton, discovered a close friend’s cancer had returned and he may lose his hair through chemotherapy treatment.
So in an amazing sign of solidarity the boys declared: “If he’s getting a baldy, we are too!”
The third-years did it in support of their pal, Peter Mitchell, who has a recurrence of a type of Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 13-year-old was diagnosed with the condition last Halloween after discovering a lump on his neck.
His mum Maureen explained: “Peter was first diagnosed just after his 13th birthday on Halloween last year.
“He had the lump surgically removed last November, however on the Thursday before he returned to school this year we found another lump.
“This time around he will need the chemotherapy, but the outlook is good for him. He is a remarkably strong wee boy and, like a lot of kids, shows great resilience.
“We have both found the response and support shown from his friends over the past few weeks as being very overwhelming and we can’t thank them enough.”
The boys were originally going to donate the cost of the cut to Peter’s chosen charity, Team Jak Foundation, which has supported him greatly during this period, but as soon as others heard what they were doing the money started to roll in.
Justine Docherty, whose son Andrew braved the shave, helped to set up a fundraising page on behalf of the youngsters, and said: “These boys are just an amazing group of kids.
“Within hours they smashed their £200 target and now the money is sitting at over £8000 within just days of it being set up.
“Team Jak have provided so much support to Peter and his family already and are such a vital charity with very little funding, so when the boys asked Peter what charity he’d like to support it was a no-brainer.
“Most of the boys have known each other right throughout school, but honestly, in these difficult times, it’s good to see such a positive thing being done. They are just the loveliest bunch of boys.”
The 16 boys, including Peter, headed to Pop’s Barber Shop, in Hamilton, at the weekend where Gary Tedeschi kindly offered to carry out the haircuts over twoand-a-half hours.
The support for Peter didn’t end there as 24 girls from Holy Cross High donned yellow ribbons on Monday.
Pupils Charlotte Grace came up with the idea, while Chloe Mason decided on the colour which tied in with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Maureen said: “The support we have had from Peter’s hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, has been amazing.
“Myself and Peter’s dad, Gary, would like to thank everyone involved in helping to highlight the work of the charity which definitely needs the cash more than ever at the minute, as it too has been affected by the fallout of Covid-19.
“Peter’s sisters, Grace and Claudia, and brother Jacob, have also been our rocks throughout all of this.”
Raising the cash for Team Jak and taking part in the head shave were: Andrew Docherty, Calum Darroch, Michael Collie, Dillon Cox, Dillon Rooney, Alex Colgan, Jake Holmes, Ronan Kane, Josh Taylor, Joshua Greaney, Dominic Rogers, Luca Palazzo, Daniel Carrigan, Nishad Bhandar and Omar Ghafoor.
To donate to the boys’ fundraising page, go to: https://uk.virginmoneygiving. com/team/petespals.
Team Jak was created at the request of inspirational teenager Jak Trueman following his own journey with childhood cancer.
Inspired by Jak’s dreams, it provides practical, social and emotional support to children and young people with cancer, aged up to 25, as well as their families, friends and those bereaved.
The charity provides individual support through Jak’s Den and outreach to hospitals and homes using group, family and one-to-one support.