Bury author using granddaughter's cancer to help families

Sam Price’s granddaughter, Sorrelle Turnbull, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in 2015, when she was just ten months old.

Now, more than a decade on from Sorrelle’s diagnosis, Sam is using his family’s experience to support others affected by childhood cancer.

September marks Children’s Cancer Awareness Month in the UK and Ireland.

Sam will be spending the month sharing passages from his self-published book, ‘Small Boat in a Big Ocean’, with a different extract read for each corresponding date.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of childhood cancer while generating donations for cancer hospital wards and related charities.

The book has now sold just under 2,500 copies across 20 countries and has raised more than £17,000 for charitable causes.

Sam said his main hope is to use the campaign to highlight the number of children affected by cancer and to encourage more families to understand the realities faced by many across the country.

“My hope in doing all of this is to raise awareness in this country,” he said.

“Across all forms of cancer and all age groups, child cancer represents about one or two per cent.

“Whilst this does not sound like a high number, it means that five children every single day are diagnosed with some sort of cancer, and half of them are aged under four.”

Sam has also collaborated with Smyths Toys Superstores, which has purchased 180 copies of the book, including the royalty fees.

The figure represents the average number of children diagnosed with cancer each month.

This campaign has also given children the opportunity to get involved, with a competition launched to design a limited-edition sleeve for the book.

The winner is expected to be announced later this week.

For Sam, the book has always been about more than telling his own family’s story.

Now semi-retired, Sam continues to keep busy with his charity work while spending time with his family.

For Sorrelle, life has taken a remarkable turn since she was declared cancer-free in 2017.

She has gone on to represent England in martial arts, winning a gold medal at Niagara Falls on her 11th birthday alongside her younger sister, Olivia.

What began as daily journals, totalling almost 70,000 words written during Sorrelle’s treatment, has since grown into a wider charitable project.

Sam said: “At the time, the posts were done to communicate how I felt.

“My role, once at the hospital, was to be the joker.

"It was to make Sorrelle giggle and smile.

"That not only helped Sorrelle, but also the people around her.”

Although this memoir was initially intended to remain private, Sam eventually began to wonder whether sharing his experience could help other families going through similar situations.

He added: “I didn’t really want it (the book) in the public domain at first, but then I thought, was there anything I could do to help?"

His decision to turn the journals into a book was also influenced by the difficult experiences he witnessed while Sorrelle was receiving treatment.

“I think the most overriding reason for wanting to turn this experience into a book was because I attended far too many children’s funerals," he said.

Money that has been raised so far has already been put towards practical use for children and their families.

Just last Christmas, 300 gifts were donated to children in hospital wards, and more than 800 Easter eggs were donated in April this year.

“As well as the previous donations, the money that we gift to the ward is to buy colouring books and camper beds for parents to sleep on, which allows them to be more comfortable whilst with their child,” Sam said.

“All these incidentals result in progress that means so much to the families, and I know that having been one.”

According to Sam, supporting a child through cancer does not mean having all the answers.

Instead, he believes parents and grandparents should focus on being there for their family.

“My advice is to speak to other families on the ward because that will help," he adds.

“It was not my job to be a nurse; it was my job to be a dad and a grandad.

"All you need to do is be who you are for those around you.

"When you realise that, you can see how much good can be done.”

Sam hopes his September campaign will continue to raise awareness of childhood cancer, with the ultimate aim of ensuring other families that they do not have to feel alone.

Support for Sam’s campaign can be given by purchasing a copy of ‘Small Boat in a Big Ocean’, or by donating on his Facebook page.