A 10-year-old boy who spent years bravely fighting leukaemia has been recognised for his extraordinary fundraising efforts – after raising £400,000 for the charities that supported him through his treatment.
Rafael Tahan, a Year 5 pupil, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in March 2023, when he was just seven years old.
After that he had to undergo intensive chemotherapy to try and save his life, including having more than 20 operations and 100 blood transfusions.
Throughout this period Rafael was supported by Camp Simcha, an organisation that provides support, retreats and activities for Jewish children with serious illnesses.
Now in remission and continuing his recovery, Rafael has given back in remarkable fashion – raising £248,000 for Camp Simcha, which he says helped bring ‘a smile back to [his] face’.
He has also helped to raise money for Chai Cancer Care – taking his total now to £400,000.
Now, Rafael’s incredible efforts have been recognised after he was awarded The British Citizen Youth Award – supported by The People’s Honours.
The young boy and his family travelled to the House of Lords last month where he was presented with the accolade.
The British Citizen Youth Award (BCyA) was founded in 2016 with the aim of celebrating the incredible community work of young people.
Rafael Tahan, 10, from north west London, has been recognised for his incredible charity efforts after raising more than £400,000 for two charities from which he received support while undergoing treatment for leukaemia
Rafael embarked upon his incredible fundraising drive this year when Camp Simcha ran its Matched Funding campaign.
Speaking in a Camp Simcha video promoting the campaign, Rafael said: ‘I was diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago and I had 12 needles stuck on my arms.’
He recalled how Camp Simcha sent him on a trip to the US to spend a summer at Camp America.
Rafael said he was ‘nervous’ making the trip because he hadn’t travelled abroad on his own before, but felt at ease because Camp Simcha sent a volunteer, Raffi (who himself was supported by the charity when he had a brain tumour) with him.
‘He took me to activities when I needed help,’ Rafael said. He added he hopes to volunteer for the charity and help other children in the future.
Rafael (pictured at the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, with his family) won a British Citizen Youth Award
Rafael’s flair for fundraising runs in the family – after his older brother Joey raised more than £100,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital, which treated Rafael, in 2023.
Showing support for his younger brother as he began gruelling chemotherapy, Joey shaved his head in solidarity with the initial aim of raising £18,000 for GOSH – a meaningful figure because the number 18 means ‘life’ in Hebrew.
However, Joey smashed his target – reaching a final total of £106,792 for the Children’s Cancer Centre at the hospital.
Rafael’s father David revealed the tough treatment his son had gone through – including intense chemotherapy, more than 20 operations and 100 blood transfusions.
He explained how Rafael missed a considerable amount of school time thanks to his treatment, but thanked the charities for supporting him during that time.
