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~
PRIDE OF MANCHESTER MANCUNIAN OF THE YEAR ~
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| Tom
Buckley |
| At
23 years old, Tom Buckley from Comberbach was told he
only had a few months to live after being diagnosed
with bone cancer (as a result of treatment for a childhood
eye cancer). As well as receiving Chemotherapy at The
Christie Hospital in Manchester, he also had a knee
and tibia replacement and various lung operations due
to the cancer spreading. This gave him problems walking
long distances due to muscle removal and metal parts
in his knee. Despite the pain, he decided to walk 180
miles coast to coast to raise an initial target of £500
for The Christie Hospital's Young Oncology Unit, where
teenagers and young adults from across the North West
receive world-class treatment. With temperatures plummeting
as low as -10 degrees and experiencing severe pain,
Tom managed to complete his walk in just 18 days and
has raised over £75,000 so far, thanks largely
to the national press coverage he received. Hundreds
of you voted for him as 'Mancunian of the year', leaving
comments like... |
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"Tom,
at 23 has months to live and he did this walk over
18 straight days through terrible pain and weather
conditions. He wants to say thank you to The Christie
for all the help they have given him over the last
4 years, so his £500 initial target has now
reached nearly £75,000! He is totally selfless
and has inspired thousands by his story." |
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"The
true pride of Manchester - an inspirational figure
who can teach us all to be happy with life and to
make the most of every second we have. He could
be spending his last few months thinking only of himself
and his family - instead he has achieved something
so remarkable to give to others and to give for the
future - remarkable young man." |
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"This
man has re-defined the term courage. His actions since
diagnosis have been filled with selfless gestures,
and it astounds me that at such a point in his life,
Tom's first thoughts are not for himself, but for
other people. His attitude through these difficult
times makes Tom an inspiration and a credit, not just
to himself, but to Manchester and beyond." |
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"For
all that this young man has already gone through in
his short life, he had enough fight to do that 180
miles coast to coast and raise all the money that
he did. I think if Tom won this award it would
be a very apt way of showing him that not only Christies
but the whole of Manchester is very very proud of
him. He is an inspiration. He's my hero and
I haven't even met him." |
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click
here to learn more & donate to tom's appeal
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| Russell
Watson rose from being a Salford pub singer to become
one of the world's biggest selling opera singers. His
career came to a crashing halt though in 2006 when he
had to have a polyp removed from his vocal chords, which
could have finished off his singing career. To make
matters worse he suffered multiple brain tumours in
2007 and was admitted to the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle.
After two years battling for his life, Russell bounced
back in 2008 with his UK no.10 album 'People Get Ready'
and appeared as a judge on the talent show Last Choir
Standing. His continued charity work and open pride
in the city has earned him many votes, with members'
comments including... |
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"Russell
showed wonderful tenacity not to give up what he is
proud of doing and his amazing voice. He does the
region proud and he is so genuine." |
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"His
strengh and determination on his fighting for life,
his talent as a singer and his generosity with charity
in Manchester are an inspiration to all the world,
not only to Manchester"
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"He
came through what was the hardest and most challenging
year of his life, and still manages to smile, and
make people smile with his singing." |
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"His
spirit whilst fighting back from serious illness has
been an inspiration for many sufferers of chronic
illness and their families." |
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buy
russell watson's autobiography | |
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