Prince Harry Meets Children And Families At The WellChild Awards

Prince Harry Meets Children And Families At The WellChild Awards
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Prince Harry is simply the Royal gift that keeps on giving...and giving - a wonderful side to his character that he displayed again when he made a sick boy's day with hugs and high fives.

Harry was at the WellChild Awards in Central London to honour the courage of inspirational children with serious medical conditions.

One of those children was Carson Hartley, four, from Liverpool, who Harry took a shine to, laughing and hugging him with delight.

Carson has had 40 operations for illnesses including a heart defect, lung disease and spina bifida.

He also has to carry a machine around with him to breathe through a tube.

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Carson's mum Kirsty, 34, said: "Harry told me that he couldn't believe how much energy Carson had and how he couldn't believe how happy he was given everything that has happened.

"He was absolutely lovely and just amazing with Carson."

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Harry has been patron of WellChild, the national charity for sick children, for seven years and has described their annual awards ceremony as one of the highlights of his year.

In an emotional speech, Harry said: "I would like to congratulate each of the Award Winners - your stories are moving beyond words and remind us all of just how fantastic you all are.

"You are an example to us all - we can learn a great deal from your strength of character, resolve and humour in facing down challenges every day."

At a reception at the Park Lane Hilton in London, Harry also honured these brave children:

• Maddison Sherwood, six, from East Keale, Northamptonshire, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy in 2009 when she was ten months old. Her condition causes severe muscle weakness and she relies on a ventilator. When she was born, her parents, Lidia and Jamie, were told she would never talk, eat or be able to support her own head – but she now attends mainstream school and can do everything her family was warned against.

• Olivia Ruston, 10, from Southport who received an award for the way she cares for her younger sister, Jessica, eight, who has acute medical needs. Olivia is trained to help with Jessica's tracheotomy and can feed her sister through a peg in her stomach.

• Rosie Flory, 15, from Bournemouth, who gave Harry a wrist band and cards made from drawings created by her brother, Harry, who died in 2012 from a brain tumour. Rosie made sure her brother's last months were happy and comfortable.

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• Rachel Hooley, 10, from Cramlington, Northumberland, who suffered acute heart failure when she was seven and was given a transplant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. She recently took part in the British and World Transplant Games in everything from swimming to sprinting.

• Cecilia Adamou, 15, from Cobham, Surrey, who was born with a serious congenital heart condition and has had a heart transplant, a kidney transplant, two brain tumours, two spinal tumours and was told I would never walk again. She defied doctors' predictions and is now up and mobile and said she's 'over the worst'.

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