Award For Teen Cricketer Who Battled Brain Tumour

The courage of a teenage cricketer who has battled a brain tumour was recognised with an award at the AO Arena in Manchester. Thomas Jackson, 16, was a special guest at the Hits Radio Live event in November, where big name stars such as Olly Murs, Craig David, and Sam Smith were performing as part of the Hits Radio Live Event.

The Manchester Evening News (MEN) reports that the award was presented to Thomas by his club, Lancashire Cricket, where he plays as wicket keeper and batter at County Age Group level. Thomas was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma in 2020, which is a serious high-grade tumour that normally occurs in the cerebellum at the back and base of the brain. 

After undergoing an intensive form of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Thomas has shown courage and determination on his road to recovery. He told the MEN: “I really enjoyed our night at Hits Live and it was amazing to see all the different acts. I’m grateful to everyone who helped organise it.”

Paul Gerrard, Programme Director for Hits Radio said: “After hearing Thomas’ story, we were really keen to do all we could to help make his visit to Hits Live even more special. We hope he enjoyed his visit backstage and a very special meet and greet with one of our artists on the night, Olly Murs. We certainly enjoyed meeting Tom and his family.”

Radiotherapy can be used to treat brain tumours where conventional surgery is considered too risky to carry out. It works by directing intense beams of radiation from an external source, which is targeted to damage the tumour cells, but leave the surrounding healthy brain tissue unharmed. This process is sometimes known as Gamma Knife Surgery in the UK.