Pupils from Sunnyside Spencer & Fairfield Spencer receive Children of Courage Awards
Darcey Butcher from Sunnyside Spencer Academy and brothers Zachary and Maxwell Shaw from Fairfield Spencer Academy received awards at The Rotary Club of Nottingham’s Children of Courage Awards 2024 earlier this month.
Held at the Nottingham County Ground and presented by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, the awards recognise and honour local young people who have faced adversity and/or hardship in their lives with extraordinary courage and tenacity, or who have shown outstanding service to their community.
Darcey was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis in 2020 and an Optic Pathway Glioma (brain tumour) in 2022 and has been receiving chemotherapy on a weekly basis alongside frequent blood tests, kidney tests, monthly MRI’s and operations. Sunnyside nominated Darcey for the award, commending her for her ‘bravery and determination’ and ‘never letting anything hold her back’.
“No matter how Darcey is feeling, she has always been supportive of her friends and has always come to school with a huge smile on her face.”
Sunnyside Spencer Academy Principal, Laurie Baczynski, said "We are so incredibly proud of the resilience shown by Darcey each and every day. She always has a beautiful smile on her face and has been an inspiration to us all."
Maxwell was diagnosed with Leukaemia in July 2021. Further to his diagnosis, he travelled to Glasgow for a stem cell transplant in September 2021, where he spent 5 months recovering. Unfortunately, following his transplant he sustained an acquired brain injury (ABI) and epilepsy following HHV6 Viremia and Encephalopathy. Since the ABI, Maxwell has been unable to return to school full-time due to the impact of his ongoing epilepsy and health needs. Fairfield nominated Maxwell for his ‘great strength and courage’ as he has had to learn to talk again, walk again and now begin to eat without the use of his feeding tube.
“Maxwell’s determination, courage and infectious smiles light up everywhere he goes.”
Zachary is the older brother of Maxwell and has had significant disruption to his family life, due to his brother’s diagnosis and ongoing health complications. Zachary has had to cope with his parents’ lengthy hospital stays and frequent trips to medical appointments, which has meant time apart from the people he cares about most. Speaking on the nomination, the school said:
“Never once has Zachary shared his disappointment that things have changed for him, in fact, he’s been the rock to both his brother and parents, always putting Maxwell’s needs ahead of his own. He has shown immense courage and strength.”
Fairfield Spencer Academy Principal, Shamara Sadler, said “As a school, we are incredibly proud of Zak and Max and are delighted that they been recognised for the Children of Courage Awards. We wish to congratulate them both on overcoming extraordinary challenges and achieving amazing things. It really was a privilege to attend this event and be able to recognise the achievements of such brilliant young people.”