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SMILES AND HIGH FIVES WITH TEAM HARRY: MEET THIS YEAR’S WELLCHILD WAARD WINNERS
When Meghan and Harry met Britain’s bravest children at this month’s Well Child Awards, which celebrate young people living with serious challenges, it was certainly a night to remember. Margarette Driscoll meets four of the inspirational winners
THE WORLD’S BEST BIG BROTHER Jacob Granger, 18, Most Caring Young Person
For his sister Melissa’s last birthday, Jacob Granger organised a treasure hunt. He spent days wrapping up 200 plastic balls in brightly coloured tissue paper, then placed them around their family home in St Helens, Merseyside.
They were for Melissa’s present – a ball pool for her sensory room, a play area filled with sparkly lights and soft furnishings designed to enhance her senses of hearing, sight and touch.
‘On her birthday, I walked behind her, hinting where to look. Then we put all the balls in the pool and tried it out,’ he says. ‘The balls completely cover her. She loves it and it’s a lot of fun. Unfortunately, she’s discovered she can chuck them at me – she has a surprisingly good aim.’
Melissa, 15, has Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes developmental delay and intellectual impairment. Melissa cannot speak, needs help to eat and to use the bathroom and suffers epileptic seizures. But she barely sits still. ‘I can put a book and crayons out for her and after two seconds she’s gone. It’s very full on,’ says her mum Kathryn, 53.
Jacob was almost three when Melissa was born. She was a very unsettled baby, suffering from reflux and severe colic but Jacob has been the kindest brother imaginable. Kathryn says, ‘It was tough for him because I was so exhausted with Melissa but he’s such a lovely, laid-back boy, he never complained. The doctors said Melissa would probably never walk but Jacob taught her to crawl, by crawling round himself, and she eventually followed.’
And he is still helping. He has programmed an iPad for Melissa with photographs of different rooms around the house and a variety of activities so she can now press a button to indicate what she would like to do.
Jacob and Melissa were both looking forward to the awards but Melissa was particularly excited to meet Meghan. She took her a Peter Rabbit toy as a present and when the royals came over to chat, they went to shake hands, but Melissa then hugged them both. Kathryn says, ‘Jacob explained how much Melissa likes hugs and Prince Harry congratulated him on the award and said how brilliant he was with her. It was fun and lovely to meet them.’
Jacob leaves for university soon and Kathryn says the WellChild Award, which is sponsored by global healthcare company GSK, is the best send-off he could have. ‘It celebrates everything he has done and still does for Melissa. She couldn’t have a better big brother.’
MELISSA WAS SO EXCITED TO MEET MEGHAN. WHEN THEY CAME TO CHAT SHE HUGGED THEM BOTH