Parents spotted 'lumps' under son's chin and knew something was terribly wrong

26 October 2023 , 09:00

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Aaron McCallum (L), Charlie and Joe Cocking (R) (Image: Supplied)

A bare-knuckle boxer is aiming to make a six-year-old boy's dream of going to Disneyland come true after his parents found lumps on his body and he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Aaron McCallum, along with best friend Joe Cocking, are aiming to walk from Nottingham to Skegness to raise money to send Charlie Thompson to his dream destination. They will attempt the mammoth feat on December 2 after McCallum was inspired by reading the story of six-year-old Charlie online.

Charlie, from Harrogate, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on August 18 just four days after his parents noticed lumps under his chin, in his hair and down his neck. Aaron, 37, told how he wanted to do something to help him.

He said: "He's just one of them kids. I just had to do something for him. It felt like the right thing to do. It was like God sent him for me to fight for him. Fighting in a ring is easy compared to what this little lad is having to go through."

Aaron, from Selston, was scrolling on Facebook when he came across Charlie's story after it was posted by one of his friends in August. Four weeks later, Aaron won the BKB (Bareknuckle Boxing) British Bantamweight title and spoke about Charlie in his post-fight interview, reported NottinghamshireLive.

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After his fight, Aaron went to meet Charlie and his twin brother in Leeds and brought him some presents. It was tough, he says, with Charlie's mood low amid his illness and headaches. On the drive back home, Aaron came up with the idea of a fundraiser.

He shared: "Charlie's mum is already raising money for him to go to Disneyland. I have family that live in Skegness and I thought what better way to raise money? At first I thought if I raised £500 it would at least be something. But it's gone much better and we've raised £2,400 already. It's madness. It's surprising how many good people there are out there once you start doing something like that. I keep putting the target up."

Aaron and Joe, from Ilkeston, will also hope to raise extra money through a charity boxing match in which they'll face off against each other. The distance from Nottingham to Skegness is around 80 miles. Aaron and Joe plan to complete the route in one go, setting off in the morning of Saturday, December 2, at around 8am with a view to completing the walk on Sunday or Monday. It will take them around 28 hours. You can donate to the walk fundraiser here or to Charlie parents' fundraiser here.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Joseph Connolly