A teacher, who helped his pupil with leukaemia after facing his own cancer battle, has been awarded teacher of the year. Ryan Collard, 30, was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer in June 2017 - the same year that his twin brother faced the same illness. After undergoing chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, Ryan was declared in remission in 2018.
So, when five-year-old Callie Ragaven at his school was diagnosed with leukaemia, Ryan asked for her to be placed in his class to offer his support. He went above and beyond to help her, sending reassuring videos and even delivering a party bag to her home when she was too ill to attend school at Green Ridge Primary Academy in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Unbeknownst to Ryan, Callie put him forward for the Collection Pot's Teacher Of The Year award, which he won.
Ryan said: "Teachers are all different and everyone has their own idea of what makes a good teacher. My priority is that the children are happy. If they feel safe and are excited to come to school, that's all I can ask for.
" He added: "If they are happy and safe, then they will learn. To be nominated is extremely overwhelming and has made me feel super proud of myself. After cancer treatment, it can often feel like you may never achieve your full potential anymore, but this has proved me wrong", reports the Mirror .
Callie, a young girl diagnosed with leukaemia, was forced to delay her school start date from September to January due to the necessary treatment. Leu.