Meet the small but mighty young heroes up for Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards – for putting others first

THEY may be small, but the finalists in the Young Hero category of The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards are certainly mighty.

These heroic youngsters haven’t let age stand in the way of their incredible achievements.

Choosing the finalists for the awards, sponsored by the National Lottery in partnership with NHS Charities Together, was no mean feat.

Our tremendous trio of finalists include an incredible young carer who looks after his mum and runs the house, and a little boy whose positivity has helped his parents navigate two family tragedies and a teenage cancer patient who has raised £80,000 for charity from her hospital bed and vowed to train to be a doctor.

We were amazed by the tales of heroism way beyond their years and the winner will be honoured at a star-studded awards ceremony hosted by Davina McCall and screened on Channel 4 and All 4 on September 24.

Here are our Young Hero finalists…..

JOSHUA ROBB

MOST youngsters struggle to keep their bedroom tidy, but for Joshua Robb, looking after his mum and helping run the house is his number one priority.

The pint-sized hero cooks dinner, does the washing and even helps mum Charlotte, 35, with her medication, after she suffered a heart attack in 2019.

Charlotte suffered a massive cardiac arrest and is kept alive by an artificial heart while waiting for a transplant.

But she’s well-looked after by 12-year-old Joshua.

Charlotte, from Eastleigh, Hants, has an artificial heart called a LVAD which pumps outside her body, but leaves her with chronic exhaustion.

She said: “Joshua and I can’t do as much together as I would like, and I have really low energy levels, but he’s always there for me.

“Joshua helps me with cooking tea, doing the washing, getting my medication; there’s nothing he won’t do.

“My LVAD needs batteries and whenever it beeps to replace them, Joshua’s always right there with new ones.

“He calls me the Terminator sometimes because I run on batteries.”

Charlotte’s condition leaves her unable to work, and she struggles to walk far or even bathe.

The mum-of-one added: “I can’t take Joshua to the park and I have to spend a lot of time in bed.

“We tend to sit on my bed while I rest, and we play games or do art together, or he does his homework.

“It’s incredibly inhibitive, but I don’t have a choice. I just have to wait and hope a new heart becomes available.

“I feel like he misses out on so much because of my condition and not only that, he worries about me 24/7.

“I’ve been kept in hospital after appointments in the past, and so if I ever tell him I have one, he often gets sick himself with worry and I get a call from his school that he has a stomach upset.

“It’s such a lot on his young shoulders.”

For Joshua though, looking after his mum is something he’s glad to do.

The schoolboy said: “I know I’m a bit different to the rest of my friends, but my mum’s brilliant.

“It’s no problem doing the things I do around the house either, she did loads for me when I was little before she had her heart attack.

“We can’t do too much together but I’m happy just to spend time with her.”

While he’s shocked by the nomination, the dinosaur fan says he’s nothing special.

Joshua says: “Lots of young people do what I do.

“I just can’t wait for mum to get her new heart so we can go back to doing more things together.

“Besides, if I’m ill or upset, Mum’s the first to look after me and make sure I’m ok.

“I couldn’t believe it when she said she’d nominated me.

“I just do regular things, mum’s the hero for living like she does while she waits for a new heart.”

HARRY BYRNE

AFTER losing two of her children to a rare genetic disorder, Sophie Byrne has faced every parent’s worst nightmare.

But Sophie, from Larkhill, Wilts, has a little ray of sunshine that has helped her brighten the darkest of days – her son Harry.

Sophie was left devastated after losing her daughter Olivia to a rare genetic disorder in 2012.

When the family suffered another tragedy in 2021, when her youngest son Reuben passed away from the same condition, it was big brother Harry, nine, who held the family together and helped fill his brother’s short life with love.

Childminder Sophie, 31, said: “Harry has been the glue who held our family together.

“Olivia and Reuben couldn’t have had a more loving sibling.”

Both Olivia and Reuben were born with a complex genetic syndrome so rare there are only 20 known cases in the world.

The condition is characterised by a series of symptoms, including bowel complications, seizures and physical issues such as turned in wrists, longer ear lobes and smaller fingernails.

Olivia lived for eight months before tragically passing away, and when Reuben was diagnosed with the same condition, the family knew he would not have long to live.

Despite knowing his life would be short, Harry filled his brother’s life with love and fun.

He would sing and play with his little brother, filling his life with joy and making up a song for his special “Reubear”.

Tragically, on December 20, 2021, Reuben died in his sleep.

Charlotte said: “I could see Harry’s heart breaking when we told him. He climbed into bed with him and sang their song.

“We were so broken, but so very proud of Harry.”

Despite his own heartbreak, within minutes, Harry promised his baby brother he’d honour his memory.

And incredibly, Harry has now raised more than £90,000 for the hospices and charities that looked after Reuben, having completed a series of challenges.

Since doing his first walk for Reuben – the Yorkshire Three Peaks - Harry has  run 100km in a 50 day challenge and is planning the National Three Peaks later this year.

The football-mad youngster has walked more than 16,000 miles – more than half-way round the globe – while raising money in memory of his brother.

Harry says being nominated is an amazing surprise.

He said: “I miss Reubear a lot. He couldn’t speak but that meant he was never mean or nasty. 

“He was only ever sunny and happy. I miss singing to him.

“I used to wake up first and climb into bed with Reubear. 

“I made up a song for us and I’d sing it and put my cheek against his. 

“Even though he couldn’t speak, I knew it made him happy when we were together.

“Some of the challenges have been hard but Reubear had a much bigger challenge and he didn’t quit.

“I couldn’t believe it when mum said I was nominated. I don’t do anything special – Reuben and Olivia are the heroes, not me.”

ISSY MARTIN

AFTER a two-year hospital stay, young cancer patient Issy Martin would be forgiven for never wanting to see the inside of a hospital again.

But the incredible teenager has not only raised more than £80,000 for a cancer charity from her hospital bed – she’s also vowed to train as a paediatric oncologist to help other people just like her.

Issy, from Horsham, Sussex, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in June 2019, just weeks before her 12th birthday.

Despite more than four years of treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital, she’s been relentless in fundraising for the hospital’s own cancer charity, doing everything from organising bake sales to sponsored walks.