Dunfermline: Grace and Harry take home a Pride of Scotland award

Harry Sinclair was just five years old when he was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2019.

Throughout his treatment, the charity It's Good 2 Give, provided vital support to his family.

And that prompted Harry's big sister, Grace, to get involved. When she discovered the charity relied on donations to help people, she decided to act – and since then she has raised over £20,000. 

Grace went on the become an ambassador for the charity, and she was joined by Harry after he'd completed his treatment and was well enough again.

Their commitment to It's Good To Give has now been rewarded, with the siblings being presented with the Child of Courage award at the Pride of Scotland Awards.

Not surprisingly, mum, Laura is extremely proud of her two children. 
She recalled how their lives changed the day of Harry's diagnosis.

"From July 24, 2019, our life just changed," she said. "We were in the hospital for five weeks, we didn't get home at all; and then Harry had three years of chemotherapy treatment after that. 

"We rang the bell last January. We actually had to stop treatment early because it was just too much and he was totally overwhelmed. It was a really challenging three years."

During this time, quite early on, the family discovered the charity It's Good 2 Give. It's a children's cancer charity that helps on the wards. 

As well as supporting Harry and his family, the charity provided a focus for Grace, with her work as an ambassador really helping give her a purpose in the "cancer world".

And since Harry has joined her, the pair have carried out lots of hard work, volunteering for retreats, fundraising and coming up with great ideas for the charity.

Laura continued: "It's just totally given them a really positive place on the cancer journey, so it's not a case of looking back on what Harry's gone through and thinking 'I never want to think about that'.

"For us it's like we're trying to channel it into the charity so that we can do something to help other people who are in the exact same position as we were."

And who better to help people than a family that knows exactly what they're going through. 

Grace, for example, has been focused on making sure that the siblings of cancer patients have something to keep them busy in the hospital.

She designed her own pencils and colouring packs "for brothers and sisters only" to go inside the parent packs that the charity gives out on the wards.

Laura laughed: "Grace said, 'Mum, I think for the brothers and sisters they should get some colouring stuff.' Grace would be sitting on the ward for hours and hours, so she designed all the colouring in sheets, they got them all photocopied, she chose all the pencils and put them into bundles and they sent them on the ward."

"She said they were only for the brothers and sisters, not for the cancer patients, just the brothers and sisters. Then she put wee stickers at the top that said: 'Designed by Grace   For brothers and sisters only'!"

Harry and Grace's tireless work has helped so many people going through what could only be described as a nightmare experience.

And they've now been recognised for all that they have done, and continue to do, for It's Good To Give by being presented with their Child of Courage award.

Laura and her husband Scott kept it all a surprise from Harry and Grace until the very last minute, only telling them when they were picked up from school and told to get dressed up for the event in Edinburgh.

While they're uncertain about what the future may hold, the family are taking each day as it comes, cherishing each moment and helping others along the way.

Laura said: "You never think it's going to happen to you, and you never think it's going to happen to your child. We're just trying to make the most of every moment because you just don't know what's around the corner."