Co Armagh teenager Blake McCaughey to meet Prince Harry after winning Inspirational Young Person in WellChild Awards

Blake from Tandragee, County Armagh, who is off to a star-studded ceremony in London on 7th September where he will receive a WellChild Award for his resilience, positive spirit and determination to live life to the full despite having a complex and incredibly rare genetic condition and spending months at a time in hospital. Insert Prince Harry who will be attending the awards ceremony (photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Blake (15) from Tandragee has been named as a winner in the prestigious national 2023 WellChild Awards, in association with GSK, having been nominated by his surgeon, Professor Paolo De Coppi, and will be off to collect his award in London on September 7th. The Awards are run by WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children.

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Blake, who has a very complex and incredibly rare genetic condition which means he has weakened muscles and can’t eat or drink, was picked from 100s of nominations from across the UK to win the category of Inspirational Young Person in these Awards which celebrate the resilience of children and young people living with serious illnesses or complex medical needs and honour the dedication of those individuals who go the extra mile to help them.

His mum Christine said on social media: “Prince Harry (who Blake loves) is flying over to present the awards and we are elated. Blake you have been through so so much, you have battled hard and you have never given up.”

Blake has been in and out of hospital his whole life and undergone hundreds of medical procedures including open heart surgery, the insertion of a feeding tube and an operation to separate his stomach from his liver. He uses a wheelchair most of the time, receives nutrition through a feeding tube and recently spent seven months in hospital for operations and treatment to reduce some of his chronic pain.

Throughout he remained resilient and spread cheer to the hospital team with his infectious smile and fun antics. Blake decorated his room like a Christmas grotto and put on festive outfits, even dressing up as his doctor, Professor De Coppi, with scrubs and a painted-on beard to make everyone laugh and mark his birthday, which falls on Halloween.

Describing Blake as his hero, Professor De Coppi, who is a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, nominated Blake for a WellChild Award.

He said: “Blake’s smile and strength are a great source of joy to those around him. He fully deserves the recognition this WellChild Award brings because he is an incredibly resilient young man who thinks first of cheering up others, even in the hardest times.”

Having lived in hospital in London or Belfast for most of the past 4 years, Blake loves it when he can spend time with his family and three dogs. WellChild Chief Executive, Matt James said: “The number of children and young people in the UK living with long term, complex medical needs is growing. The WellChild Awards 2023, in association with GSK, will be a unique opportunity to recognise the immense challenges they have faced and to celebrate their remarkable positivity, resilience and spirit, which is an inspiration to us all. It will also help us to shine a light on the dedication of those around them, from siblings and parent carers, to the professionals who have gone above and beyond to give them the very best chance to thrive in life.”