Nurse becomes internet sensation after singing to boy battling cancer

A nurse has become an internet sensation after being filmed singing to a boy battling cancer in hospital.

Beth Porch has been described as a “little bit of brightness” for playing a ukulele while singing McFly’s It’s All About You to Artie Vickerage,

The three-year-old has been bedridden for the last seven weeks after being diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called Burkitts Lymphoma.

Footage of the touching moment was posted on Twitter by Artie’s mother Gemma and retweeted more than 4,000 times, bringing it to the attention of McFly singer Tom Fletcher.

He tweeted: “Beth, you are an absolute hero with the voice of an angel. Gemma, I hope your little one is doing ok.

“Wishing you all the very best. It looks like you’re in good hands there.”

Artie, from Hockley in Southend-on-Sea, was taken to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London at the end of May after his mother discovered a large lump in his belly.

Gemma Vickerage told Sky News: “I immediately knew something was wrong.

“I took him to the hospital and we were referred to Great Ormond Street straight away, the next day they had started treatment.

“With this type of cancer the tumour can double in size within 24 hours. The one in his stomach was already sitting at 11.5cm. He also had fluid on his lungs and a lymph up near his heart.

“When you come in you get told that the treatment is intended to break them but it has to happen to make them better.

“I was not prepared at all for how bad it would be. It’s heartbreaking, it has been the worst time of my life.

“You never imagine it would be you, you never think something like this would happen.”

Throughout his intensive chemotherapy, Artie was cared for by Miss Porch.

Mrs Vickerage said: “He has just been so poorly and it can be hard to stay positive but Beth is just a little bit of brightness and she really makes a difference.”

Miss Porch told Sky News that she has been overwhelmed by the reaction to the video of her singing.

The 24-year-old said: “The response to the video has been crazy. It doesn’t feel real. I didn’t expect to go viral.

“It’s been strange to think that so many people have heard me sing, including big celebrities! Tom Fletcher is a musical hero of mine, so for him to say I have the voice of an angel has been very overwhelming.”

She added: “I started bringing in my guitar for a boy who wanted to learn to play but the teacher couldn’t see him regularly, so I would play with him every shift.

“Then all the other families would hear and soon I would just take my guitar from room to room.

“Unfortunately some patients are on our ward for end of life care, so I have been a part of some incredible moments with families, creating final memories with their children.

“It will only take me an hour or two to learn a patient’s favourite song, and that’s enough to distract them from their pain and bring them happiness in their final days with their family.”

(c) Sky News 2019: Nurse becomes internet sensation after singing to boy battling cancer