OVER the next few days we will be publishing our interviews with the winners at this year's Pride of St Helens Award.
We have a 16-page supplement of the awards night complete with all images and the interviews for sale in shops across St Helens inside this week's St Helens Star, all costing just 80p.
The next award interview is that of CHild of Courage joint winners Lucy Lowe and Lincoln Huyton.
AS the Pride of St Helens award judges could not separate the two nominees in the Child of Courage category, both Lucy Lowe and Lincoln Huyton were named co-winners.
As Lucy’s mum Vicky developed pre-eclampsia when she was pregnant, Lucy was born 16 weeks early weighing 1lb and 3oz and doctors gave her just a 25 percent chance of survival.
After her premature birth, it was a fight for survival from Lucy’s very first breath and she has since battled chronic health conditions while also dealing with the tragic and sudden losses of her dad David Hesketh in 2016 and her 22-year-old big sister Melissa last year.
Despite all of this, Lucy kept going with such positivity, fighting against her limitations, and never missed a day of school while sitting her GCSEs.
With Lucy lost for words following her award win, her mum Vicky said: “The way she has carried on and kept her head up after everything that has happened is amazing.
“Even when she’s feeling low, she always puts other people first and thinks about how they must be feeling.
“She has really supported me when I’ve been ill too, and she never missed a day of school after everything that she has been through.”
Meanwhile Lincoln Huyton from Fingerpost and his very proud parents Tanya and Matty were “overwhelmed” on Friday to hear he had won.
Lincoln has has to fight from day one, when an anatomy scan led to him having open heart surgery just four days after being born.
Doctors later informed the family that Lincoln, from Fingerpost, has a complex and incredibly rare congenital heart defect, where his heart is on the right-hand side of his body rather than the left.
He was also diagnosed with heterotaxy syndrome as he has been born with misplaced organs and without a spleen.
A regular patient at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Lincoln’s condition has resulted in him experiencing heart failure, with his bodily functions not operating properly and his health deteriorating.
He’s so far had three open heart surgeries, including one in May this year and, despite this, he has done fundraising for charity, including for Alder Hey.
On his win, his emotional mum Tanya said: “I was crying as they were just reading out his nomination information because that is our life, we get on with it and do day to day but he’s been through so much and he really deserves this.
“I can’t thank people enough for asking for my little boy to get the recognition he deserves, he’s been through a lot in his little life and the people who support us like Team 1C and Alder Hey and the palliative care he gets from Claire House as well, it all keeps us going.
“He’s been really excited, he’s worn a gold tie and shoes as its his favourite colour and Matty and Lincoln’s brothers Deacon, 12, Mac, 10 and Jaxon, eight are all wearing matching ties with the colours for cardiac ribbon as a sign of what Lincoln has been through.
“It’s been lovely having a reason to celebrate, he’s such an amazing boy and we are proud of his every day. It’s nice for others to be proud of him too.
"He really is courageous.”
Both Lucy and Lincoln were invited onto the stage at St Helens Christmas Light Switch On over the weekend by Mayor of St Helens, Cllr Lynn Clarke following their joint win.
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