County defender Macauley Southam-Hales was present at the Pride of Manchester Awards on Wednesday night, to present young County fan Taylor Dignan with his Child of Courage award.
County-mad Taylor won the prestigious award for his amazing fundraising efforts, which saw him raise over £2,500 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, who continue to treat him for his Anterior Segment Dysgenesis.
Macca is 11-year-old Taylor’s favourite County player, and the Welshman turned up at the red carpet event to surprise the extraordinary youngster with a signed shirt, before inviting him down to a training session at Carrington to have the opportunity to meet the rest of the first-team squad.
Congratulations, Taylor – we can’t wait to see you down at Carrington soon!
See below for more information on Taylor’s incredible story:
Taylor was diagnosed with Anterior Segment Dysgenesis shortly after he was born, and had the first of many operations when he was just two days old. ASD is a spectrum of disorders, and in Taylor’s case, he is blind in one eye, has “shell-like” teeth and has to inject growth hormones every day.
Taylor, from Stockport, was bullied at school for looking different, which affected his confidence, but rather than feeling sorry for himself, at the age of 10 he decided to raise money for the hospitals that continue to treat him and also help other children with disabilities celebrate their differences.
For his first challenge he completed 11 one-mile runs cheered on by mum Sam, dad Dan, and younger brothers Harrison, eight, and Bobby, six. He ended up at his beloved Stockport County football ground and managed to raise more than £2,500 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.
He says: “I know how it feels to be in and out of hospital – I’ve been going there all my life. I also know what it feels like to be bullied. I don’t want other children to experience what I did, which is why I’m telling people about my condition.”
For his next challenge, Taylor is running 20 miles in 20 days with 20 people – and so far he has already raised £1,700 towards his £5,000 target.
