Cancer teen's parents call for WellChild nominations

THE parents of a teenage cancer victim honoured for his bravery shortly after he died are calling for nominations for this year's WellChild award.

Paul "Braveheart" Davies, 17, received a posthumous WellChild gong last year in recognition of his four-year fight against leukaemia.

Near the end, the Currie teenager drew up a "bucket list" of feats to accomplish before he died and planned his own funeral. He even helped to design a memorial bench for his school. Such was his resilience throughout the ordeal, the Davies family gave him the nickname "Braveheart".

Paul was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2006.

Nominations for this year's award are now open and Paul's dad Steven Davies has joined the national children's charity in urging Edinburgh residents to put forward suggestions.

The annual bash celebrates the bravery of seriously ill children and people dedicated to going the extra mile to really make a difference to their lives.

"Winning the award for Bravest Child was so beneficial for Paul, who was going through a very hard time with his condition when we were told that he had won", said Paul's dad, Steven. "It was as if out of the darkness that we were in, there was a glimmer of light. We are so proud of our son who is never out of our thoughts and the WellChild award is a lovely reminder of his amazing courage."

To nominate visit www.wellchild.org.uk. The closing date for entries is May 11.