Teddy's only two - but he's an award-winner!

Teddy, from Crawley, West Sussex, has now been recognised for his bravery with a special national award - a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award, in partnership with TK Maxx. Every child nominated for a Star receives the accolade, which is backed by a host of famous faces, including celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, TV personality Dr Ranj and children’s TV favourite Mister Maker.

There is no judging panel because the charity believes every child diagnosed with cancer deserves special recognition. The awards are open to all children under 18 who live in the UK and have been treated for the disease within the past five years.

As well as a star shaped trophy, Teddy received a £50 TK Maxx gift card, t-shirt and a certificate signed by the celebrities. His brother Parker, who is nine months old, received a certificate too.   The first signs of Teddy’s illness emerged last summer when his parents Amy, 32, and Brian Cossins, 45, a warehouse manager, noticed a slight squint in his right eye which seemed to happen when he was concentrating on something.

“We had an appointment with the health visitor in July anyway and she noticed the squint too and referred us to the hospital,” said Amy. There then followed a series of hospital visits to see different doctors. Each time Teddy became scared and distressed at all the examinations he had to have.

“During this time, I noticed the eye changing,” said Amy. “There was a bit of a glow to it in certain lights and it changed from bright blue to a much darker colour. “I couldn’t help Googling and before the doctors formally diagnosed it, I just knew it was retinoblastoma. Call it mother’s instinct, but I just knew. And when we saw the doctor, I could see in his face, it was going to be bad news.

“By chance, on the day we were at East Surrey, there was a retinoblastoma surgeon there. We were taken into a room and told it was a grade E tumour and that his eye would have to be removed.

“I think they were expecting me to collapse into tears but I had already done a lot of crying. I don’t know how many times I dreamt of his funeral. It was a really awful time. So by the time they told us he had cancer, I was ready for it.

“The doctor said: ‘We’re going to have to take his eye but I am certain we can save his life’.

“The only time Teddy ever complained about his eye hurting was the day before it was removed.”

Traumatic though that was, thankfully Teddy didn’t need chemotherapy or any further treatment. Further tests also showed that there was no genetic link so Teddy’s other eye was safe and Parker was not at risk.

Teddy has to have his prosthetic eye changed every three months while he grows. But removing it isn’t a problem for him.

“He takes it out all the time!,” said Amy. “He’s bright – he knows all his numbers and colours – and he’s a very happy little boy. He’s not good on stairs – he has trouble with depth perception but that will improve with time.”

Teddy loves dinosuars and used his TKMaxx voucher to stock up on more of his favourites, “I think he knows them all by now! And he was so proud when he got his star award – he absolutely loves it and loves to play with it and tell me it’s his star,” added Amy.

Around 240 children are diagnosed with cancer in the South East every year, but research is helping to save more lives.

The charity is working to discover new ways to treat the disease, so all children and young people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. And thanks to some of its breakthroughs, children’s cancer survival in the UK has more than doubled since the 1970s.

But the Star Awards, and stories like Teddy’s shine a light on the unique challenges still faced by children like him.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South East, Lynn Daly, said: “Teddy is a proper little star. He’s been through so much already and he’s not even three. It’s a privilege to be able to celebrate his courage with a Star Award.

“Cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults, from the types of cancer to the impact of treatment - and many youngsters may experience serious long-term side effects. That’s why we’re supporting dedicated research to ensure more children and young people survive cancer with a good quality of life.

“We’re urging people in Sussex to nominate other inspirational children like Teddy for a Star award now, so that many more affected by this devastating disease can receive the acknowledgement they so richly deserve.”

The Star Awards are run in partnership with TK Maxx, the biggest corporate supporter of Cancer Research UK’s work into children’s and young people’s cancers. Since 2004, the retailer has raised more than £44 million for vital research to help improve survival.

To nominate a star visit cruk.org/starawards