A teacher who helped his student through leukaemia after battling cancer himself has been named Teacher of the Year.
Ryan Collard, 30, was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer in June 2017 - the same year his twin brother was diagnosed with the same disease.
He underwent chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant and was declared in remission a year later in 2018.
So when a student at his school, Callie Ragaven, five, was diagnosed with leukaemia, Ryan requested she be put into his class so he could support her.
He "went out of his way" to support her - reassuring her and sending her videos of her classmates she wasn't able to meet, and even hand-delivering a party bag.
Teacher of the Year named
Kind Ryan, even hand-delivered a party bag to her door so she didn't miss out on treats when she wasn't well enough to attend class at Green Ridge Primary Academy, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Without Ryan's knowledge, Callie nominated him for Collection Pot's Teacher of the Year award - which he won.
Surprised Ryan said: “Teachers are all different and everyone has their own idea of what makes a good teacher.
"My priority is that the children are happy. If they feel safe and are excited to come to school, that’s all I can ask for.
"If they are happy and safe, then they will learn.
"To be nominated is extremely overwhelming and has made me feel super proud of myself.
"After cancer treatment, it can often feel like you may never achieve your full potential anymore, but this has proved me wrong.”
After being diagnosed with leukaemia, Callie pushed back her start date for school from September to January due to her treatment.
Her mum Shalinee was concerned she would miss out and struggle to settle into school.
She said: “He specifically requested to have Callie in his class as he knew how hard cancer treatment can be.
"He was so understanding from day one and sent her videos of the kids in the class and even hand-delivered a party bag to our door that one child had brought into school as he didn’t want her to miss out.”
Talking about why she nominated her teacher, Callie said: “I started Reception this year having just been diagnosed with leukaemia.
"Mr Collard has given me the most incredible start to school life that I could have ever imagined.
"Nothing is ever too much for Mr Collard and he does his job with so much love and dedication.”
Ryan won £250 in a Collection Pot for himself and £1,000 for his school and Callie will receive a £250 Visit Britain Gift Card.
After being diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer, the gruelling treatment left Ryan infertile.
But recently Ryan and his wife Sophie welcomed a baby boy, Carter, after going through IVF treatment.
He said: “I really struggled coming back to work and seeing all the wonderful kids.
"Reception age is my favourite age as they are just so magical and hilarious, so teaching them was a great distraction.
"However, sending them off to their parents and seeing how excited they got was heartbreaking as I thought I might never have that experience.
“We were extremely lucky this year to have our little boy Carter who is nine weeks old today. He has genuinely changed my life.
"Before him, it was a daily struggle and I would constantly ask myself 'what purpose do I have in life?'
"I felt like such a burden.
"Luckily, my wife Sophie was my biggest motivator and kept me going at the darkest of times, reminding me that we’d be parents no matter what."
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