Prince Aidoo looks right at home on the stage as he talks us through his journey, accompanied by his close friend Anthony. Diagnosed with Leukaemia at age 14, Prince explains, in his own unique way, how the simple things in life kept him going, all playing a key role in how he dealt with his illness. Anthony also talks about how beneficial the conference is, stating how it’s a good chance to meet people who have been through the same thing and strike up lifelong friendships. Above all, Prince stresses the importance of remaining positive and taking something good out of a bad situation, meaning that if you want a McDonald’s burger….you have a McDonald’s burger!

After Cherith’s brother Jonathan was diagnosed with Leukaemia over a year ago, life has been very different. As Cherith tells her story, she talks us through the range of emotions that come with finding out a sibling has been diagnosed with cancer and how she coped with watching other family members deal with her brother’s diagnosis. Cherith explains how at first, she didn’t know how to take the news and wishes she had known more about the illness to begin with as it made her angry and upset when she didn’t know what the future held. We also get to meet Jonathan himself, who, by the looks of things is taking a definite lead in the race to eat as many chicken pies as possible with a record of three per day! Cherith also talks us through the first time she saw Jonathan in hospital and how emotional it was to see someone she loved in such a shocking environment. After spending some time away from home, Cherith looks forward to going back to normality and seeing her dog again, although in true sibling style, Jonathan seems more occupied with The Simpsons than waving his sister off!

Delivered with a smile on his face the whole way through, this is Tom’s account of how his experience with leukaemia has led to many exciting opportunities. He explains how his love of rugby has had to take a break during treatment; however his other passion, playing the bass guitar, has come into a whole league of its own! From playing rugby club gigs with his band, to performing alongside professional musicians, this is a great example of how, despite having to sacrifice many aspects of his life due to treatment, Tom has found other positive projects to focus on.

22 year old Adam lost his life to Leukaemia on January 9th 2008 having first contracted the disease at the age of 16. This is his story, complete with entry to the Dumball rally ‘07!