WITH his beaming smile and sparkling bright eyes, Ross Anderton looks a picture of health as he excitedly chatters about what he hopes Santa will bring him for Christmas.
But just two years ago the brave youngster spent what his parents describe as the “hardest Christmas imaginable” fighting cancer at a hospital thousands of miles from his family home.
But now, not only is bubbly Ross, three, fighting fit – but he is helping other families of children with cancer.
Cancer support charity CLIC Sargent have chosen Ross as the face of their 2011 Caring for Children and Young People with Cancer Christmas campaign.
His cheeky smile was picked and his family’s story of how they were helped by the charity launched their Christmas appeal.
Celebrities, including former England footballer Gary Lineker, lent their support to the campaign and Ross’s proud family said they had been delighted to help.
Ross’s mum, Lesley Lauder, 40, said: “Two years ago there was only one thing we wanted for Christmas – Ross to get well. Instead of celebrating a normal family Christmas, we were at a hospital in America, where Ross was about to start receiving treatment.
“It was the hardest Christmas imaginable, but Ross made it through.
“This year we are looking forward to a wonderful family Christmas together, but we know a lot of families will not be so lucky.
“This Christmas appeal is about helping them.”
Ross, of Ormiston, East Lothian, was diagnosed in August 2009 with orbital rhabdomyosarcoma – a rare form of cancer, which affects fewer than 60 children in the UK each year.
Worried mum Lesley and dad Andy, 45, had taken their son to the doctor after he developed a puffy area under his right eye.
As the area swelled, medics carried out a series of tests, and the family were devastated to learn their 18-month-old son had cancer.
Ross was admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
He had three rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour, which burst out from his lower eye lid and was resting against his cheek. Further treatment was needed to save Ross’s life.
Doctors told them the only treatment available on the NHS was radiotherapy, which could leave him disfigured and brain damaged.
Lesley turned to the internet to look for alternative treatments and found an article on proton beam therapy, which targets tumours precisely and reduces any damage to healthy cells.
The couple started fundraising to fly Ross to America for a £200,000 course of the therapy.
They waited four weeks before hearing the NHS had agreed to fund their trip.
In December 2009, the family, including Ross’s sister Katie, now aged five, travelled to Jacksonville, Florida, for the five-week-long course of cutting-edge treatment.
After months of anxious waiting, they were finally told the treatment had been a success, and Ross was cancer free. Almost 18 months on from being given the all-clear, Ross must still attend hospital for regular check-ups.
He suffers kidney and vision problems as a result of the treatment he received.
But his parents say he is a boisterous and “full-of-fun” wee boy.
Lesley said: “To look at Ross now you would never know what he has been through, but it is something we will never forget.
“Our worry never goes away, and we never take his health for granted.
“But, as far as he is concerned, he is just like any other wee boy who is looking forward to Christmas and hoping Santa will bring him a tractor.”
Despite Ross receiving the proton beam therapy in America, Lesley says they will always be grateful for all the care and treatment he received in this country too.
And she admits they will always be thankful for the financial help they were given by CLIC Sargent.
Lesley said: “For the first two weeks after Ross’s diagnosis, we had to come to hospital every day.
“On top of the petrol, parking cost us £10 a day, so the CLIC Sargent care grant we received was an enormous help straight away.
“There are just so many costs when you have a child with cancer.
“To take care of Ross, I gave up work and Andy changed his shifts, so our income was severely reduced.
“Having a child with cancer is horrific enough, without money worries on top.”
Lesley says the whole family were delighted when CLIC Sargent asked if they could make Ross the face of their Christmas appeal.
She said: “I assumed lots of children were being asked, but when a team came up from London to take his photograph they told me he was the only one.
“We are delighted that Ross is doing this, as it is a great way for us to be able to give something back to the people who have helped us.
“We are so proud of him.”
Lucy Caldicott, CLIC Sargent’s director of fundraising, said: “We were very grateful that Ross’s parents welcomed us into their home to tell their story about how they struggled to cope with the costs.
“Cancer costs, financially as well as emotionally.
“The reason we chose Ross and his family is because their experience mirrors that of many families across the UK.”
Celebrity patron of CLIC Sargent Gary Lineker, whose son George, now 19, suffered from leukaemia as a baby, said: “Please join me this Christmas in supporting this enormously worthwhile appeal with a donation to help families like Ross’s.”
How you can help
EVERY day 10 families are told their child has cancer. As the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity, CLIC Sargent are the only organisation to offer all round care and support.
They help out:
During treatment – providing specialist nurses, play specialists, homes from home
In hospital and at home – offering specialist social care and support in the community – services for young people, holidays, grants
After treatment – helping survivors, supporting those bereaved
Find out more and donate at www.clicsargent.org.uk