Small but incredibly mighty, meet the children who, without complaint, are bravely enduring difficulties many adults will never face in their lifetime.
From coping with overwhelming grief and heartbreak to quietly going through gruelling chemotherapy treatment, these tenacious tiny people, who have been supported by The Archie Foundation charity or NHS Grampian, are to be celebrated at the charity’s first ever variety show at Aberdeen’s Tivoli Theatre next May.
Ahead of the May extravaganza, we met three little stars who are set to shine on stage.
Izzy Noble, 8, from Rosehearty
Eyes lighting up as she chats away excitedly about her love of dance, singing and the popstar Ed Sheeran, Izzy Noble is like any other eight-year-old girl.
But Izzy is in fact a pretty extraordinary little girl who has smiled, laughed and danced her way through gruelling treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Described as “resilient” by her proud parents Dee and Kris, brave Izzy, from Rosehearty, near Fraserburgh, has endured more than most adults will face in their lifetime but has never once complained.
Ten months into her two-year treatment plan and Izzy is positively thriving, returning to Rosehearty Primary school and her beloved dance classes.
Izzy’s remarkable courage has not gone unnoticed as she has been named as the ambassador for the The Archie Foundation Variety Show, an honour that makes her very proud.
“I’m very excited to be the ambassador as I just want to help other little boys and girls to have a good time in hospital,” says Izzy.
In awe of how her daughter has coped with everything, Izzy’s proud mum Dee says she really is a star.
“Izzy is very brave, she takes everything in her stride, she gets on with it, nothing has fazed her,” says Dee, 38, who works as a pupil support assistant.
“She’s so laid back and she never complains, she’s never once said why is this happening to me.
“She’s also very kind and thoughtful to other people and is very resilient.”
Happy and healthy, Izzy has always loved being outdoors, going on long walks with her parents and big sister Yvie, 12.
But it was on one of these family walks when Izzy’s parents noticed she wasn’t quite herself.
“Izzy had been randomly sick a few times in the lead up to Christmas but we thought it was just the usual winter bugs going round the school,” says Kris.
“But between Christmas and New Year we were out for a walk and she just burst out crying and I had to carry her home.
“We also noticed that she started getting tired a lot and getting temperatures.”
For peace of mind, Izzy’s parents took her to the doctor who booked her in for a blood test.
“I’ll always remember that the blood test was on the 6th of January which was Kris’s birthday,” says Dee.
“So she got the blood test at 3pm and we got a phone call just after 10pm at night from a doctor from Aberdeen.
“I asked straight away if it was leukaemia and he said ‘oh well we don’t normally speak about these things on the phone, would you just come to the hospital’.
“So we just had to throw everything into the car and head to the hospital – that was the start of it.”
Izzy was immediately admitted to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital that night and three days later she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
“She started chemotherapy the day after her diagnosis,” says Dee.
“Everything happened just really quickly.”
During the first month of her treatment, Izzy was kept in hospital with visitors limited to protect her from picking up any infections.
Although it was tough for Izzy and her family, support from The Archie Foundation made a huge difference.
“During my first long stay in hospital The Archie Foundation gave me gifts and activities which kept me busy and really cheered me up,” says Izzy.
“The parents’ accommodation they gave my mum and dad was great, it meant they could both stay with me all the time.
“My sister even came for a sleepover which was great fun.”
Izzy, who has already raised about £10,000 for the charity thanks to support from her local community, is now in the maintenance phase of her chemotherapy with March 7 2025 being her official end of treatment date.
Having the show at the Tivoli next May has given Izzy something positive to focus on.
“It’s great as she’ll have all these happy memories of this time as well,” says Dee.
Izzy is now counting down to the show.
“Performing and fundraising are two of my favourite things, so getting to do both at the same time is a dream come true,” says Izzy.
Fraser Wood, 6, from Aberdeen
Just like Spider-Man, the superhero emblazoned across his little T-shirt, Fraser Wood is determined, resilient and never backs down from a challenge.
Energetically jumping around on his trampoline without a care in the world, it’s hard to believe that the same six-year-old is going through treatment for T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma – a type of blood cancer.
Small but mighty, little Fraser’s bravery cannot be underestimated as he has endured intensive chemotherapy treatment, has battled sepsis and continues to cope with the side effects of powerful steroids.
Fourteen months on from his diagnosis and Fraser is flourishing, having recently started Tullos Primary School in Aberdeen while continuing to receive treatment.
To celebrate his incredible bravery, Fraser, who has a two-year-old sister Freya, is set to star in The Archie Foundation’s show at The Tivoli.
“He’s so brave as he’s been through so much,” says his proud mum Louise Pope.
“So this show is amazing for him because he’s missed out on a lot.”
Usually full of beans and running around, it was when Fraser started slowing down that alarm bells started to ring for Louise.
“He was usually full of energy and running wild but all last summer he just wanted to sit inside,” says Louise.
“I took him to the carnival and he didn’t want to go on anything.
“Then we went to Lossiemouth for a weekend away in the caravan and he would normally be running wild at the beach but he was just sitting there.”
Concerned about her poorly son, Louise says she took him to the doctors several times.
“I kept taking him back to the doctors and they just kept saying it was viral and then one day he just completely deteriorated,” says Louise.
“He was just lying on the sofa, lethargic, he could hardly breathe and he was pale.
“I just knew there was something really wrong so we took him to A&E.”
After a whirlwind of tests and X-rays, little Fraser was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma and the seriousness of his condition resulted in him being rushed to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow where he spent six weeks getting intensive chemotherapy.
Courageous Fraser was eventually transferred back to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital where he has continued his chemotherapy treatment.
Earlier this year, in April, Fraser started maintenance chemotherapy, a less invasive form of treatment which he’ll continue until January 2025.
Throughout the family’s ordeal, The Archie Foundation has been a pillar of strength.
“The play leaders at Archie who are based in the hospital are really good with Fraser,” says Louise.
“They also provided me with a special car seat for Fraser and they helped us out with a grant when we moved house.”
When staff at the charity asked Fraser if he would perform at their variety show next year, he jumped at the chance.
“I’m very excited,” says Fraser.
Known to be a bit of a comedian, Fraser says he might tell some jokes on stage or would be happy being in a group dance performance with other children.
“No doubt I’ll be crying when I see him on stage,” says Louise.
Mollie-Rose Downie, 9, from Portlethen
Kind, caring and incredibly thoughtful, Mollie-Rose Downie may only be nine years old but she always puts others first.
Her big heart and selfless nature was never more evident than when she sadly lost her beautiful baby brother Keegan on November 1 last year.
During that unimaginably painful time, Mollie-Rose’s parents Emma and Barry, from Portlethen, say their daughter was simply amazing.
“Mollie-Rose is definitely brave,” says Emma.
“She’s just incredible, she really is.
“She’s a great kid as she’s thoughtful and she wears her heart on her sleeve.
“She’s dealt with everything like a champ, we’re incredibly proud of her.”
Bereavement is one of the hardest things you can go through in life but for a child, like Mollie-Rose, coping with loss and death can be even more difficult.
But that’s where The Archie Foundation’s free bereavement service came in.
“Sometimes Mollie-Rose can be quite good at hiding how she’s feeling and trying to make sure everyone else is OK,” says Emma.
“Through The Archie Foundation, Mollie-Rose has a bereavement support worker called Jane who has been going into her school to support her.
“I think for Mollie, having that outside person that she could talk to, who is not family or is not closely involved with her, has been a great support.
“School was a bit challenging when she first went back as she had these big feelings and she didn’t know how to process them, so having someone there helped, it made a big difference.”
For Mollie-Rose, having Jane there to help her work through her emotions has been hugely beneficial.
“It has really helped me,” says Mollie-Rose.
“Jane made this thing called emotion Jenga which is where you have your Jenga blocks and you write your emotions on them, you then take a block out the pile and if you feel that emotion you keep the brick but if you don’t you put it back in the pile.”
Mollie-Rose’s incredible strength is to be celebrated at the Archie Foundation Variety Show where she will take centre stage alongside other children who have been supported by the charity.
“When my mum told me about the show I was really excited, I can’t wait to do it,” says Mollie-Rose.
As a freestyle disco dancer, budding singer, actor, impressionist and comedian, Mollie-Rose has her work cut out choosing what talent to perform in the show.
“I’d like to do either acting or singing,” says Mollie-Rose.
Since little Keegan passed away, Mollie-Rose and her family have raised an astounding £7,906 for The Archie Foundation and The Neonatal Unit at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.
“We couldn’t have got through this without the staff at the Neonatal Unit,” says Emma.
Cassie McGunnigle, fundraising manager at The Archie Foundation
With her office based within The Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, Cassie McGunnigle witnesses the bravery of little girls and boys every day of the week.
“Every day we see these incredibly brave children and I just thought we need to give them the chance to shine and to be the superstars that they are,” says Cassie.
Determined to celebrate the courageous children who are supported by the charity, Cassie came up with the idea for a fun-filled variety show.
“We meet a lot of children every day, they often pop into the office which is in the main foyer of the hospital,” says Cassie.
“They’ve always got the biggest smile on their faces and they often chat about their favourite hobbies.
“Sadly though a lot of the children have to give them up because they’ve been receiving treatment, so this variety show will shine the light on them and make them superstars.”
The Archie Foundation Variety Show is on Saturday May 4 next year and for more information visit the website www.archie.org or send any questions to helllo@archie.org
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