Raising a miracle

Aim

To raise money for Addenbrookes paediatric oncology ward to employ a vital team member for which there’s no budget to allow for.

Hi, me and my lovely son Jack (whose picture is above) would like to help raise enough money for Addenbrookes paediatric oncology wards to employ a vitally needed member of staff for which there isn’t enough money in their current budget to allow for. 

The picture above is of my son Jack who at aged 7 suddenly fell ill with at first what we thought was pneumonia. This being bad enough within a few weeks my baby went from a normal fun loving 7 year old with the world as his oyster to what you see above. The picture to be honest was extremely hard for me to share with you all as it’s very personal and not something I take lightly in doing so.  After just a day in Addenbrookes I got the news NO PARENT EVER WANTS OR SHOULD HAVE TO HEAR.......my son had cancer and not just any type, a rare one that they were unsure of how it would react to treatment if at all. 

Within 5 weeks of having the pneumonia a solid  huge mass had grown on my sons chest, this resulted in both Jacks lungs collapsing and his heart pushed to the other side of his body push on the rib cage!. In short if it had been another few days I would have lost my beautiful baby boy!. 

To say what my son suffered was extreme and cruel is an understatement, he was in a coma for 2 months, had numerous operations, biopsy’s and tests. I can’t count the times I watched him ‘bagged’, I stopped at 7!. Eventually the conventional ventilator couldn’t sustain my baby boy and his last hope was what I can only describe as an archaic looking machine called an ocsillator. I would just like to point out that this machine is truly amazing. Finally after some chemotherapy we had a glimmer of light, the huge solid mass had partly turned to a rind full of what I’m told looked like dirty mushy water, that day another amazing staff member of Addenbrookes a surgeon by the name of Mr Aslain, removed 4.4kgs of tumour mass from my tiny sons body. In the following months Jack started to stabilise and evently was slowly awakened from his coma. For the first time in over 2 months I saw my beautiful boys eyes open!! It was truly a miracle.

Jack had to learn to walk, talk, eat and move again just like when they were first born, he couldn’t even hold his own head up. 

I’m pleased to say even with all the odds stacked against him, this story although still ongoing is hurtling to an amazing positive end.  But Jack isn’t in remission yet and he has just turned 10! Three years my SON and the AMAZING team at Addenbrookes have been fighting to achieve the impossible, which they do EVERY SINGLE DAY!!.  I call my son my Real Life SuperHero and tell him daily that Ironman, captain America and all those have nothing on him. With everything thrown at him he has dealt with it with more grace, determination and stubbornness and smilies than I could ever have imagined. I’m proud of both my children and the fight they have both had to endure in their own ways.

Please help if you are able and tell your friends about the amazing work Addenbrookes do each and every day and of course my son and his huge fight just to live his life which has been taken over by this horrible desease for nearly half his small years on this planet.

The time this position will open up for the CNS nurses (clinical nurse specialists) will enable them to spend more time doing what they should be instead of chasing test results, making bookings for CT’s/MRI’s/X-rays, bloods, day procedures, taking and making many calls. They will be able to spend more time supporting those children suffering and their families, being there with them in both hospital stays and day clinics and so much more. 

Both myself and Jack can say from first hand experience how much the support of these specialists really can help. We ourselves have the lovely Valerie as our speclist, she is always there wether it is for a chat for me to go through anything I’m worried about or don’t understand to the really serious stuff.......for Jack she talks him through things so he has a better understanding of what his is enduring and why it needs to be done etc etc. 

Each and every member of staff in both PICU and the oncology ward in Addenbrookes played a vital part in saving my sons life, from health care assistants who stock the vital necessities to those planning and administering meds and care. There are so many on that list you probably wouldn’t realise, but we are grateful to them all. 

So finally, I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to both the entire amazing staff at Addenbrookes, I could never return enough for what you did for us and of course to EVERYONE on crowdfunder who have taken the time to read a shortened version of Jacks fight for life and to EACH of you who are able to help in this worthy and needy cause.

Thank you,

Rebecca (Jacks mum) ????????

This project successfully funded on 3rd April 2018