PRESENTS have been donated to the ward that cared for one-year-old Oakley, from Bude, who was diagnosed with cancer when he was just six weeks old.

Oakley was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a rare cancer in children, in January of this year. However, one year down the line, Lianne Crook and her partner William Cohen were delighted when they received the news that their son was in remission.

As a way of saying thank you for all the care Oakley received at the Bristol Children’s Hospital, the family asked the public to donate toys and presents, which would be given to those children who are still in hospital over the festive period.

People did not disappoint and the family was able to travel back up to the hospital before Christmas with their arms full of presents for the children on Oakley’s old ward.

Lianne expressed her thanks to everyone who donated on Facebook. She said: “A massive thank you to every single person that donated a present for the hospital! We have just dropped them all off and the staff were so pleased and so grateful! They will wrap all the presents and give them to the children they are most suitable for.”

Lianne said it was ‘surreal’ heading back to the ward, this time for a positive reason. She said she felt anxious as they ascended in the lift but all that went away when she saw ‘a few old faces’.

Unfortunately Oakely had been unable to go along and visit the ward due to illness. Lianne said: “Unfortunately we couldn’t take Oakley to see all the nurses that absolutely loved him as he is now poorly with a nasty cold — although the nurses were so pleased to see some recent pictures of him and we will be taking him back soon to see them all!”

She once again expressed her thanks to everyone who donated a present as there were many young children who were still on the ward this Christmas and she said she was sure the gifts would ‘put a little smile on their face over the Christmas period’.