Lewis is a Year 11 pupil at Giles Academy who suffers with Rothmund-Thompson syndrome. This syndrome leads to a wide range of medical issues that Lewis has coped with, but most seriously an increased chance of getting cancer.

At aged 8, Lewis got cancer which resulted in his leg being amputated.  He was treated with Chemotherapy and as a result of this he missed a lot of school that year.  However, Lewis did finish his treatment and his cancer was in remission and he was able to return to school. 

Lewis is always a pleasure to teach and to have in school.  Having one leg did not hold him back and it was not uncommon to see him running around on his crutches, playing football and he was even able to go skiing.  Many students will find excuses to get out of doing PE, yet at times when Lewis’ full leg was broken we have had to try and stop him taking part as he was still adamant that he wanted to continue with trampolining.  When Lewis broke his leg he coped with the pain for a long time as it would not heal properly and even then he just got on
with it.  Lewis has always been a keen sportsman and has recently had his prosthetic leg replaced with a blade. I am sure once Lewis is better again we will see him do great things on that blade.

Sadly, Lewis’ cancer has now returned in his elbow and his battle will commence again. Lewis is the strongest person I know, and has almost an enlightened view of the world. He is remaining very strong in the face of this upcoming challenge and I think this is best summarised in his comments to his 8 year old brother. Once Lewis found out that his cancer had returned he asked his parents if he could
put his little brother to bed. His mum went up to see Lewis holding his
brothers hand and saying to him “you don’t need to worry mate, I will do the worrying for both of us”.

Lewis still attends school, despite the bad news, his friends and teachers are all extremely upset and will miss him whilst he’s off being treated.

In an effort to support Lewis and his family, we would like to fund raise for the charity that most supports his family.  CLIC Sargent fights tirelessly for children and young people with cancer, often when
they feel they can’t. They do this individually, locally and nationally, so
that the family can focus on the important things, like getting well. Therefore, as a person who is known for having long hair, I have decided that I will “brave the shave” to help raise money for this inspirational student. A suggestion that will be taken seriously is the highest sponsor can have the right to either carry out the head shave or nominate someone of their choice.

Thank you for your support.

Andrew Castley

Head of Year 11