LITTLE Evie O’Ballance jumped for joy when Dr Nicola Cable accepted her Best Doctor award.
The adorable three-year-old joined Dr Cable, 45, at The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards, as she made an emotional acceptance speech.
The doctor is Head of Paediatrics at Blackpool’s Blenheim House Child Development Centre and has transformed the lives of countless young children with additional needs – including young Evie, who stopped breathing shortly after she was born in January 2020.
Due to a lack of oxygen to the brain, she was not expected to reach typical milestones, and it was thought that she would face problems sitting or standing.
But thanks to the tireless efforts of Dr Cable, Evie is now a happy and healthy little girl.
And the little girl melted the hearts of the audience – including a smiling Anthony Joshua – as she joyfully ran a series of victory laps on stage in celebration of her doctor’s win.
Evie’s mum, Kerry Coles, 40, who nominated Dr Cable for the gong, and dad Jack O’Ballance, 29, also joined them on stage and proudly looked on as the doctor paid tribute to the youngsters in her care.
Dr Cable said: “It’s their strength, courage and determination that puts a smile on my face every day.”
The inspirational doctor was presented with her award by newsreader Moira Stuart and former football manager Harry Redknapp at our glittering bash for healthcare heroes at the Roundhouse in north London, which was broadcast on Channel 4.
Football legend Harry, 76, said it was an “honour” to present the medic with her award, while broadcaster Moira, 74, hailed her a “hero”.
Harry said: “It’s an honour to present someone as special as Nicola with this award. Where would we be without doctors? They’re very important people and they need a pay rise because they are worth every penny.”
Moira added: “Every recovery is only possible with the help of the most extraordinary nurses, the most extraordinary consultants and the most extraordinary physiotherapists.
“I look at this woman and I realise what she goes through every day, not only professionally, but emotionally and on every level. And I think she is a hero. I really do”
Dr Cable said of winning the prestigious award: “I’m amazed, I’m so happy.
“Community paediatrics doesn’t come into limelight very often at all. And to see children thrive and their families supporting them is the very best part of the job.
It’s the families who are incredible and that’s, that’s who’s got the win.”
BIG-HEARTED Harry Byrne was devoted to his younger brother Reuben – who sadly died from a rare genetic condition aged 2 – and dedicated his win to his ‘Reubear’.
Reuben died just a few days before Christmas, in 2021, and since then, nine-year-old Harry, from Larkhill, Wilts, has raised more than £95,000 for the hospices and charities that looked after his brother.
His award was presented to him by Chief Scout Bear Grylls and TV star Denise Van Outen before a video message from England superstar Declan Rice was played.
The footballer told him: “Reuben would be so proud of you.”
Harry said to the audience: “Thank you so much for this award, it’s actually Reuben’s birthday tomorrow.”
After coming off stage, Denise said: “Harry is the hero of the night, he really deserves it.
“I don’t think he can fully comprehend what an impact he has had on his family and so many other people.
“To achieve all that by such a young age is really special.”
And Bear told the lad: “You get a kick out of helping people don’t you? It’s in his DNA.”
CARING midwife Valentina Burnett went above and beyond the call of duty when new mum Natalie Doye fell into a coma before she gave birth last October.
She looked after Natalie’s baby, Gracie, who was born via emergency C-Section, at the Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, Hants.
Valentina, who had brain surgery herself in 2018 after doctors discovered she had a brain tumour, also provided emotional support to Natalie’s loved ones.
Sadly, the midwife’s tumour returned in 2020 and she has had radiotherapy to stunt its growth.
Valentina, 45, who lives in Chandler’s Ford, Hants, has been determined that her health issues will not stop her from caring for women and their babies.
She was surprised with her Best Midwife award, ahead of the ceremony, by chef Jamie Oliver at his London HQ.
A video of the special moment was shown at the ceremony on Tuesday night.
Valentina dedicated her award to all NHS midwives working so hard up and down the country.
She said: “I’m amazed, shocked, overjoyed and humbled. I just cannot believe that I have won – I just do what I do every day. I’m so proud, but the way I see it, this award is not mine, it’s for all midwives.
“To be a midwife is not a job, it’s a passion, it is something within you – you really need to love it to do it.”
Comedian and mum-of-three Katherine Ryan, who announced the award on stage, said: “I wish Valentina had been my midwife!”
Katherine added: “I love all midwives but every now and then you meet someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty who is transformative and lifesaving.
“She is so strong, I am so impressed by her and her speech and how emotional she is tonight, dedicating her award to those who go above and beyond to take care of you when you are at your most vulnerable.”
SELFLESS paramedics and ambulance technicians at the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust give up their own time to provide a ‘wish’ service for end-of-life patients.
Since it launched in 2019, the Welsh Ambulance ‘Wish’ Service has granted 50 wishes.
The team were presented with their award by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who told the team: “What you do is really incredible.
“Your day jobs are incredible and you do this on the side. It’s inspiring. Seeing all the different things you’ve done, it moves you. It’s something really special.”
After asking what was their most memorable wish, ambulance care assistant Katie Morgans, 27, told the PM of the time took a man to his daughter’s wedding because his last wish was to walk her down the aisle.
She said: “It was really special to help a family like this and it meant a lot to them.”
Mark Harris, 54, Assistant Director of Ambulance Care for the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, said it was a huge honour to meet the Prime Minister.
He said: “It was especially amazing to receive this award from the Prime Minister.
“It’s been a tough time for all ambulance services but this shines a light on the amazing work so many do.
“What we hope is that this is a springboard for other trusts to set up similar schemes.
“We want it to be huge as it helps so many patients and their families.”
Dr Edward O’Brien, Clinical Lead Palliative and End of Life Care, said of their win: “It’s incredible recognition for all of the volunteers who give up their time to help people at the end of their lives.
“They are the ones who go out and look after the families in their spare time. It’s a huge honour to have won, especially when you look at the calibre of other nominees.”
STEPH Capewell got to meet her idol when RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage presented her with the Best Health Charity award.
Steph, 30, who lives in Castletown, Sunderland with Phillip, with their three-year-old son Jack, left the audience in stitches when she said: “I’m totally fangirling over meeting Michelle Visage!”
Just minutes before, some audience members were brought to tears after an emotional video was played detailing the inspiration behind Steph’s charity Love, Amelia, in memory of her daughter who died shortly after her birth in 2018.
While waiting in a corridor at Sunderland Royal Hospital, she met a young mum who was in labour but hadn’t known she was pregnant and passed on some of Amelia’s things for her surprise baby.
After discovering there was nothing the hospital could really do in this type of situation, Steph then later also put together 12 boxes – one for each minute of Amelia’s life – including a letter to new families, signed: ‘Love, Amelia.’
In 2019, she registered Love, Amelia as a charity, which has distributed over £1million worth of items throughout Tyne and Wear and County Durham.
Steph said: “This has been absolutely surreal. It’s been amazing to win.
“To be presented with an award by Michelle too is incredible. I’m such a huge fan of the show – have been from the start.”
Michelle, 55, who presented her with her award, alongside model and host of Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star, Leomie Anderson, said: “I think the key to life is to be more like Steph.
“She turned a tragedy into something that can help many for years to come. It’s about giving back.”
Leomie added: “Steph’s story brought me to tears – she was able to take tragedy and turn it into something so positive. My mascara has been running all night!
IT was an emotional evening for Amandip Sidhu who scooped The Caroline Flack Mental Health Hero award.
He set up the charity Doctors In Distress, which offers support groups and workshops for NHS staff, in honour of his doctor brother Jagdip who took his own life in 2018, aged 47, due to the stress of the job.
Amandip, 46, who lives in Watford, said: “I’ve got a huge mixture of emotions. I’m tinged with a bit of sadness and very humbled.
“We saw recently during the pandemic that people put their lives on the line for us and I hear from a lot of healthcare professionals now that their mental health is probably worse than ever.
“We really need to make sure our focus is kept on protecting them. I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens.”
He was presented with his award by actress and TV presenter Emily Atack and boxing champ Anthony Joshua.
A tearful Emily said: “This man is an inspiration and I’m very honoured to give him the award. He lost his brother – I can’t even imagine losing a sibling.
“And to not just stand up and carry on, but carry on in the biggest and boldest way in honour of his brother. I find that so humbling.”
Anthony added: “It’s a learning curve, presenting this award. It was not just about presenting, it was about learning how you can help others.
“Amandip is just inspiring, he makes me want to help others.”
THE hero medics who saved the life of a woman hit by two trains dedicated their 999 Hero award to the brave mum-of-two, who joined them on stage.
Sarah de Lagarde, 45, was close to death after falling onto tracks at High Barnet Underground station before being run over by the Tube trains last September.
But her life was saved by Dr Benjamin Marriage and paramedics Chris Doyle and Kevin Cuddon, from London’s Air Ambulance Charity, who pulled her from the tracks and administered emergency treatment on the platform.
Presenting the medics with their award, TV favourite James Corden said on stage: “As someone who has spent the last eight years living in America, I cannot stress to you how special the NHS is.
“You only realise how truly unique and brilliant it is when you live in a country where healthcare isn’t something that is readily available for every single person.”
The former Late Late Show host added backstage: “It’s just incredible and very humbling to meet these people. They do the most amazingly brilliant things.”
Dr Marriage, 42, said it was “a huge honour” to win the award. He said: “There were some incredible people we were up against. Everyone deserved it, but it is nice to have the recognition for what we do. We can’t thank Sarah enough for nominating us.”
Humble Kevin, 42, added: “We were really just doing our jobs. Sarah is the true hero.”
Sarah, 45, whose arm and leg had to be amputated, said: “I was told I could have died ten times that night.
“It’s thanks to these men that I am still here and can watch my children grow up. I owe them my life and couldn’t be happier that they won this award. They are very modest about what they do but they deserve their moment in the spotlight.”
FOOTBALL legend Gary Lineker paid a touching tribute to the nation’s nurses on stage before presenting Max Oosman with his gong.
Gary told how he was warned that his son George might not make it through the night after he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia as a baby.
But thanks to the amazing medics at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, he pulled through – and George, now 31, accompanied him to our ceremony.
The Match Of The Day host said: “In difficult times nurses are often the people we lean on most.”
Community Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Max, who works at a dementia assessment clinic in Burnley, Lancs, is celebrating his 51st year of service with the NHS – and was met with a roar of applause when he told the audience: “I’m 70 now and still going.”
On top of his demanding day job, he also volunteers his time to encourage more young men from ethnic minority backgrounds to take up nursing.
After collecting his trophy, Max, who left his home-country of Mauritius in 1972, aged 19, to train as a nurse in the UK, said: “It’s incredible, I wasn’t prepared to win.
“To be able to tell my story, it’s very genuine, very authentic. I’ve had five decades of my life with the NHS.
“We came here when they were saying No Dogs, No Blacks, No Irish.
“We had to fight our way through to survive and thrive.
“We had fire in our bellies still then, because that’s what we do best, it’s our passion.”
Gary added: “It’s just amazing to celebrate people like Max at this incredible event tonight.
“Nurses are something extra special, and I know that from what I went through with my son.
“It’s a privilege to help make sure they are recognised tonight, as often they aren’t.”
FORMER Tottenham Hotspur player Allan Cockram who runs a football squad for children with Down’s Syndrome was joined on stage by the jubilant kids he coaches.
Allan, 59, from Ealing, West London, set up The Brentford Penguins in 2017.
It welcomes kids who struggle to find acceptance at other sports clubs, and has proved transformative for many who take part.
Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer, who presented him with the Unsung Hero award, said: “The amount of time that volunteers like Allan put in is incredible.
“I find the whole thing really humbling and it’s incredible to meet him and be here presenting their award.
“I’ve been playing football every week since I was 10 years old, so to see this inclusion is amazing as it’s about playing but it’s also about the friendship, teamwork, all of those skills that come with it.
“I’d love to come along and see you all train and be part of it.”
And Allan joked: “I’m sure Sir Keir would be a welcome member of the Brentford Penguins but I’d have to check with the captain first.”
Musician and TV presenter Myleene Klass, who joined Sir Keir on stage to give the football coach gong, said the world was in need of more people like Allan.
She said: “It’s so humbling to be able to present this award, Allan really does deserve to be recognised, the world can often feel so unjust, but he is making a real difference.
“There’s a ripple effect, the children will take the positivity they get at football home to their families – you help one child and that helps their friend, their siblings too.
“We need more Allans out there!”
WHEN Liz Curtis’ daughter Lily died from mitochondrial disease in 2007 at just eight months old, she was determined to help other families like her.
She gave up her job as teacher to set up her charity, The Lily Foundation, which has raised £8.5million.
This money has been invested into research to help find a cure as well as supporting families and patients as well as to raise awareness – who are known as “the Lily family.”
During an emotional speech, Liz, 49, from Warlingham, Surrey, described it as “the club they would never want to be a part of but one they couldn’t be without”.
She also thanked the National Lottery for the funding it had provided to her charity, as it has helped them to increase their support to those affected by mitochondrial disease.
Backstage modest Liz said: “I feel like I don’t deserve this, but I think if other people were here talking about the charity and what it has done for them, they’d have other things to say.
“When I lost my daughter, there was no charity, no way to connect with other parents who had gone through the same thing.
“People always wanted to help and doing something to help others seemed like a good way to go, and we started fundraising. This award will be going in pride of place at home.”
She was given her gong by paralympian Ellie Simmonds and Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay.
Ellie said: “Liz has done absolutely phenomenal things and fully deserves this award. It’s amazing to be a small part of her night.”
Vernon added: “Liz has been through some really harrowing circumstances and come out the other side with a passion to help people.
“She’s special because not everyone can do that after something so traumatic. Liz is the perfect example of what we should all be.”
OUR special recognition award this year honoured those part of the Windrush generation in celebration of their incredible contribution to the NHS.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks carrying passengers who had left their homes in the Caribbean to fill workforce shortages in the UK.
Many of the passengers on board took up roles in the NHS, which launched just two weeks later, and were vital to its success.
The gong is named in memory of The Sun’s Health Editor Christina Newbury who died in 2018.
She was instrumental in the success of our first ever annual awards back in 2017.
Victoria Bateman, 78, who came from Jamaica in 1963 to work as a nurse in the UK was invited to accept the award.
She said: “Working for the NHS and coming to a cold England was a big change for me but I loved my nursing career.
“I made wonderful friends, was cared for by the NHS and had an incredible experience.”
Victoria, who lives in Nottingham, was joined on stage by daughter Michelle Bateman, 57, a nurse, and Michelle’s son, Liam Dinnall-Bateman, who worked as a NHS healthcare assistant during the pandemic as well as Paulette Simpson CBE, Deputy Chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee.
Michelle, 57, said: “It’s such an honour, Mum came over here and loved her NHS family, she was welcomed and had a long and very happy career.
“It was her example that made me want to follow in her footsteps.”
They were presented with the award by businessman and The Apprentice advisor Tim Campbell MBE and former Olympic athlete Denise Lewis.
Tim said: “Our NHS is the envy of the world, families like the Batemans who have given so much tirelessly are incredible. The Windrush contribution to our health service must never be overlooked.
Denise added: “The Windrush generation paved the way for the generations like me, who have been inspired and were able to achieve their goals.”
