Oxford pupil gets top GCSE grades despite cancer battle

Oonah Buist has praised her son, 16-year-old Kasper, after he notched eight grade 9s and two grade 8s in his GCSEs.

Kasper was not the only member of the family with reason to celebrate as twin brother Tristan also collected his results last week.

Magdalen College School (MCS) pupil Kasper was diagnosed with childhood cancer, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, in November and would go from radiotherapy sessions in the morning to sitting exams in the afternoon.

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Mrs Buist said: “We were completely flabbergasted, we weren’t expecting that he could do so well.

“He was really ecstatic to be there with his friends, having done his exams with them – that meant a lot to him, to be a part of it with them.

“It’s been worth all the time he’s put in – he was having daily radiotherapy as well as the chemotherapy, but still worked hard.

“We attribute the success to the school, he felt he could sit the exams because the school had prepared him so well.

“Revising was really hard for him – it’s one thing to muster your brain for a two-hour exam but it’s another to do it for prolonged revision periods.”

Left to right: Tristan, Kasper, Myron, Oonah and James Buist with headteacher Helen Pike. Picture: Magdalen College School

In addition to Kasper’s remarkable grades, Mrs Buist also praised Tristan for his results.

“In some ways, it was more difficult for Tristan – and for both of them, I still can’t believe they’ve both managed to do this,” she said.

Both will be staying at MCS for their A-levels, with Kasper studying French, German, History and Maths.

“He’ll be on maintenance chemotherapy, so we’ll see if he can do all four subjects,” said Mrs Buist.

In addition to battling cancer and studying for his GCSEs, Kasper also wanted to help future children struggling with cancer.

Younger brother Myron recorded a charity CD, which was released last month, with proceeds going to the Childhood Cancer Research Trust, a charity Kasper is in the midst of setting up.

Mrs Buist said: “One of the things that got Kasper through the darkest periods was the goal of reducing the suffering of other children.

“He’s become very interested in the treatments available, and he’s in the process of setting up a charity to look at childhood cancer research, in order to benefit the children that come after him.”

The CD is a collection of classical music, spanning 400 years and five languages.

It was recorded with Myron’s friend, Archie White, before the duo’s voices broke.

The album, Love Is, features 21 songs and is available to purchase via ordinarychild.co/shop