A BRAVE young boy who faced a three year battle with leukaemia and inspired a district-wide community campaign has finally finished his treatment.
In emotional scenes at the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, Gourock schoolboy Nathan Mowat, seven, rang a bell in a tradition which signals the end of his gruelling chemotherapy.
The brave little boy was the face of the Tele-backed Glow Gold campaign, started by his mum Gillian.
She has fought tirelessly to raise awareness of childhood cancer and is now also supporting the hospital’s Schiehallion Appeal.
The mum-of-two has organised a sell-out charity ladies day in Greenock Town Hall as she continues her fight for other families.
Gillian, of St Andrews Drive, said: “The day we have been waiting on for such a long time finally arrived. I am so happy, proud and relieved to get here and we celebrated with a party for all his friends, pictured.
“To say we are proud of Nathan is a huge understatement. It was a day we sometimes didn’t know if we would see and we feel incredibly grateful to be here.
“But not all of the children we have met along the way have been as fortunate and we were also thinking of them.”
Surrounded by his family, Nathan rang the bell at the second attempt.
Gillian added: “Nathan was supposed to ring the bell last month but he ended up in hospital and it had to be postponed at the last minute.
“That was difficult.”
Little Nathan was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia aged only three and it changed his family’s life forever.
Hospital visits at all times of the day and night became the ‘new normal’ for mum Gillian, dad Paul and his younger sister Annabel.
His mum was so desperate to highlight the devastating impact childhood cancer had on Nathan and others like him she launched Glow Gold in Inverclyde two years ago.
She touched many hearts when she said that the campaign made her feel ‘useful in a hopeless situation.’
The Tele-backed campaign inspired people throughout the area to light up homes and buildings and take part in events to raise awareness.
There were parties in schools, nurseries and Morton even held a Glow Gold day at Cappielow.
Youth organisations rushed to support Nathan and the town hall, Custom House Quay and the Beacon lit up in his name.
As he continued round after round of chemo Nathan joined with Sir Tom Hunter to start the annual Kiltwalk.
He helped raise thousands for charity and won the Tele’s Little Community Champion of the Year 2017. He has spent birthdays, Christmas and special occasions in hospital.
But mum Gillian, 36, said: “He has always had a smile on his face and just wants to run around.”
Gillian has now organised an End of Treatment Ladies Day to raise money for the Glasgow Sick Children’s Hospital.
She added: “The aim is to raise funds for much needed research and clinical trials, a subject I am very passionate about.”
The celebration takes place on March 3, hosted by Edward Reid.
Gillian told the Tele: “I want to thank everyone who was there for us during Nathan’s illness, especially Professor Brenda Gibson and her team, all the staff at the hospital and all the family and friends who have supported us through this most difficult time in our lives.”
She also paid special tribute to Nathan’s grandparents, who have been with them every step of the way offering vital family support.
Gillian said: “They have taken our daughter, Annabel at any time of the day or night and I don’t know what we would have done without them.”
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