Andrew thinks having youth on side helped to beat illness

Brave model, Andrew Cooper, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 21 and, understandably, it came as a shock.

But, as he prepares to take to the catwalk next Friday for the inaugural Brave show at the Beach Ballroom, he thinks that being so young helped him fight the disease.

Mr Cooper, pictured left, discovered he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in December 2008.

It took him over three years of chemotherapy to beat the illness. He underwent 12 months of the intensive treatment and, after failing to find a match for a bone marrow transplant, spent the next two years getting more chemotherapy before receiving the all-clear in January 2012.

Being diagnosed with such a serious illness and having such gruelling treatment would dispirit many young people, but Mr Cooper is convinced his youth helped him.

He explained: “At the time, I was only 21 (he is now 30) and that made it easier to deal with.

“I think it was because I had a younger mind and it was something I just had to get on with and get through because it was an inconvenience to me. It would have been harder if I had been diagnosed now because I would have known more about what I was going through and understood it better.

“Don’t get me wrong, it was still a massive shock, but it was just something I had to get through.”

During his treatment, Mr Cooper was supported by his girlfriend, Zoe – she is now his wife – and his friends, family and Friends of Anchor.

The Aberdeen resident was so impressed with the support he received from the charity that he ran the London Marathon in 2012 and raised around £7,000 for the charity.

At their wedding, almost four years ago, Mr and Mrs Cooper raised £1,020 for the charity by having a game of heads and tails.

He said: “The marathon was something I wanted to do to give something back to Friends of Anchor.

“It wasn’t the best preparation having to run it just three months after getting the all-clear, but I managed it and it was amazing.”