Barnsley teen footballers shave heads to support player with bone cancer
BBCTeenage footballers have shaved their heads to show support for a team-mate who has a rare form of cancer.
Owen, who plays for the under-16 team AFC Pogmoor in Barnsley, is undergoing chemotherapy for Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer.
The team decided to do a sponsored head shave so the 15-year-old "didn't feel left out".
Owen, from Rotherham, said: "I love them all to bits. I don't know what I'd do without them."
The teenager was diagnosed with cancer not long after helping his team to promotion when he was aged 13.
His mum Andrea said he started with a pain in his leg but within weeks was given the "devastating diagnosis".
The youngster underwent chemotherapy for several months before returning to play football, and the team celebrated several league and cup wins.
However, in February Owen was told the cancer had returned and he would have to undergo a second round of treatment at Sheffield Children's Hospital.
The team's manager Phil McNulty came up with the idea for the boys and coaches to shave their heads with the mass shave taking place on Tuesday night instead of the usual training session.
Fellow player Alfie said: "I had to check with my mum that it was alright, but I really wanted to do it.
"It shows we're all team-mates and we're all backing him through his journey."
Team-mate Liam said: "We knew Owen was going to have to shave his hair again so we didn't want him to feel left out."
Initially the boys set a fundraising goal of £250 but so far more than £2,600 has been raised to go to Owen and his family to spend however they want.
Owen, who has five siblings, said: "The money doesn't matter to me. It's just having love and support and this has been amazing."
The teenager's dad Bill said: "You can't buy comradeship through sport, it's just found on the field.
"What these lads have done - they might laugh that they've just shaved their hair off - but it's the show of support for your team-mate. When the chips are down, you show how hard and tough you can be."
Ewing's sarcoma is a rare form of bone cancer, with most cases diagnosed in people aged 10 to 20.
The symptoms can depend on the size of the cancer and where it is in the body, according to the NHS.
Andrea said her son was "amazing" but the disease had "massive, horrendous ripples" throughout the whole family.
She said Owen was fit and healthy before being diagnosed and had shown none of the usual symptoms associated with the cancer.
"From a child doing park runs to being told he's got eight weeks to live without treatment, as a parent my world just fell apart.
"I never thought I was going to be that parent with a child with cancer."
She urged anyone concerned about their child's pains to get them checked out.
"It's such an uncommon cancer but we want to get that awareness out there for Owen and everyone else.
"If it saves one or two children's lives then my job has been done."
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