Sidcup teenager, 16-year-old Emilie Subiger has been named as a winner in the prestigious national 2019 WellChild Awards, in association with GSK, and will be off to collect her prize on October 15th at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London having been nominated by many of the doctors and nurses who have treated her.

Emilie, whose life was turned upside down following life-saving treatment for a brain tumour, was picked from 100s of nominations from across the UK to win the category of Inspirational Young Person in these Awards which celebrate the courage of children coping with serious illnesses or complex conditions and honour the dedication of professionals who go the extra mile to help sick children and their families. The Awards are run by WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children.

Emilie now faces barriers to living independently across every aspect of her life. Following surgery to remove a brain tumour, Emilie was critically ill and after a prolonged stay in the paediatric intensive care unit, she faced months of rehabilitation as she had lost the ability to breathe unaided, move or speak. Emilie remains unable to speak but has not let this get in the way of communicating her desire to work as hard as possible to regain her independence. Despite dealing with her diagnoses and intensive rehabilitation, Emilie showed compassion for others, even fundraising for the teams who were helping her. Emilie’s infectious enthusiasm and determined attitude resulted in staff at King’s College Hospital’s Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit lining up to receive one of her famous Drag Queen Makeovers which helped raise more than £3,000 for the unit.

WellChild Nurse, Cat Jones, was one of dozens of staff at King’s College Hospital in London, who rushed to nominate Emilie for a WellChild Award. Cat said: “Emilie really stands out. She fully deserves this WellChild Award because her resilience and strength in all she has and continues to overcome, serves as a beacon of hope and courage for other children, young people and their families.”

Emilie will be one of the stars of the show at October’s high profile Awards ceremony. The awards are regularly attended by our Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Sussex and many of the charity’s celebrity supporters, last year the Duchess of Sussex also attended.

Speaking at the 2018 WellChild Awards, The Duke said: “The stories that we’ve all just heard – of resilience, strength of spirit, and the power of working together –were without doubt, incredibly moving and motivating. They really sum up what WellChild is all about – giving families the best chance to care for their children at home, and supporting them through the reality of all that that entails.

“I would like to thank all the families here this evening. The mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, and many other family members who are devoted to their children and giving them the best care possible. You are such fierce advocates for your children and doing everything in your power to give your family the best chance at a happy life. It is quite simply amazing.”

With hundreds of nominations received from across the country, the difficult job of choosing winners in all WellChild Award categories is given, each year, to an esteemed panel of judges. That panel consists of leading health professionals and others with an interest in children’s health and includes children and young people who face serious illness themselves.

WellChild’s Director of Programmes, Tara Parker, a member of the judging panel, said: “It is a tremendous challenge to select winners from the many, many truly amazing nominations we receive from all over the country. All the panel members are moved by the bravery of the children, the stories of selfless care and support and the dedication of the doctors, nurses, teachers, brothers and sisters who make a great difference to the lives of seriously ill children and young people. Emilie truly deserves to be the winner of this award.

“The Awards, in association with GSK, are a perfect demonstration of WellChild’s commitment to helping as many seriously ill children and their families as we can and embody our aim of raising awareness of the needs of this growing population.”

Emilie will receive her award at the annual WellChild Awards ceremony in London this October. At this star-studded event, Emilie will meet a host of WellChild celebrity supporters, who attend each year to celebrate the courage of brave children and honour the dedicated work of the country’s health professionals. In addition to HRH The Duke of Sussex and the Duchess of Sussex, previous WellChild Award evenings have been attended by Rapper Stormzy, Magician Dynamo, rock legend Rod Stewart with his wife Penny Lancaster Stewart, comedian Russell Howard, pop singer Pixie Lott, actress Barbara Windsor, pop band Scouting for Girls, Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne and many more.