Rueben’s mum very sadly passed away from cancer nearly 3 years ago at the young age of 33. Following this tragic news, on the 30th May 2019 doctors found a sizeable mass on the right hand side of Rueben’s brain which was found to be a high graded cancerous tumour.
Rueben was taken for brain surgery and for the next 6 hours & 28 minutes he fought alongside the amazing surgeons to get through his surgery, including that of Dr Siva Kumar who has a treasured relationship with Rueben.
On the 25th July Rueben was meant to start Radiotherapy, however instead he went for a second brain surgery due to the tumour growing back within just 5 weeks. Following his surgery, Rueben would need to undergo 6 months of intense chemotherapy.
Candlelighters have supported Rueben and his family in lots of different ways which has sparked his strong friendship with Ellie, one of Candlelighters Family Engagement Workers.
The very first time Rueben met Ellie he referred to her as his new cancer buddy. On numerous occasions Ellie has gone above & beyond to support Rueben and his family as a whole. Even the little things are so important to Rueben’s family, such as wheelchair races and silly jokes that make him smile. In Stephen and Liz’s world this is a huge thing. On top of that, Candlelighters are there to support Rueben’s family and have given his other siblings opportunities to have days out which have helped keep the family’s spirits high. Candlelighters have also provided talking therapies for the whole of Rueben’s family, which are crucial through this difficult time.
Now the thing about Rueben is, even through the most challenging time in his life he is the most caring, loving, giving and inspirational young man that anyone would have the pleasure to meet. In Rueben’s own endeavours, from the very start of his journey, he raised money for Ward 52 which is a dedicated Paediatric Neurosciences Ward based on Clarendon Wing. Since then, Rueben has managed to raise a phenomenal total of £9,400.46 in his continued charity work for Candlelighters.
Rueben’s family, friends and local community started their fundraising through a ‘Warrior Mums Midnight Walk’ from their hometown in Holmfirth to where Rueben’s mum used to live in Marsden. Over 50 mums and Rueben, along with his school friends, embarked on the 7 and a half mile walk in torrential weather which raised over £6000! This led to Holmfirth High School seeing Rueben in the local paper which encouraged them to get involved in their own fundraising for Candlelighters and this raised over £2000, as well as a local family hosting a Halloween cake sale which also raised £600!
Rueben and his family have decided that going forward, everyone who has or wishes to fundraise in support of him and Candlelighters will come under his very own team, Team Rueben.
Chloe at Candlelighters said: “To see Rueben and his family create something so positive out of a really difficult time is so inspiring. The amount Rueben, his family & friends and the local community have raised so far is unbelievable and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Team Rueben. He is such an inspirational young man and I can’t wait to support him and his family going forward! Let’s go Team Rueben!”
WE WILL SOON BE LAUNCHING TEAM RUEBEN’S VERY OWN FACEBOOK PAGE WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW HIS JOURNEY AND KEEP UP TO DATE WITH HIS AMAZING FUNDRAISING!
Rueben and his family are so thankful for your support and will share the new pages as soon as they are ready.
In Rueben’s family’s words “This is the biggest rollercoaster we have ever been on and it stops every now and again. So far the support we’ve received has been outstanding, many people have jumped on this rollercoaster with us to help support Rueben through the ups and downs but we will always welcome more. Help us support Rueben and lets ride this together as one.”
Below are some really special messages that have been left for Rueben by a few familiar faces:
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