Harry's Story

Harry is a funny, happy and kind six year old boy who loves superheroes and wrestling.

In December 2015, a tumour was found in Harry’s spinal cord and he had to have two operations. The first was on his sister’s 8th birthday and it lasted eight hours.

The tumour was only partially removed as the risk of paralysing him was too high to remove the whole thing. He was kept asleep for 36 hours afterwards and when he woke up, he couldn't walk.

“I will never forget the  day we found out. It was heartbreaking, and every time we told a loved one, we broke their hearts too.”

Harry was in a wheelchair for a long time after his surgery and had to learn to walk all over again! He has fought hard and although he was in a wheelchair for a long time, he has learned to walk again.

In January 2017, following one of his regular MRI scans, his family were told the devastating news that the tumour was growing and had spread to his brain. He had to start an 18 month course of chemotherapy right away and is now a third of the way through.

The chemotherapy is killing his good cells as well as his bad ones, which means Harry is neutropenic most of the time, and as a result the family haven't been able to go out much in the last 18 months.

The chemo has also permanently damaged Harry's nerves in his lower legs and feet, so he struggles to walk and has to use splints when he’s not in his wheelchair. Harry's current chemotherapy is just to stop the tumour growing, so in the future he will need more surgery or more chemotherapy.

Unfortunately this very difficult year took it’s toll on Harry’s mum and dad, and sadly their marriage broke down in September 2016. Harry’s mum is now raising four children as a single parent.

“I feel like Harry has lost his childhood. There are so many things that six year old boys do that he never will - football matches he’ll never play and parties he’ll never go to”

Harry lives with his mum, nine year old sister and two younger sisters. As a single parent family, money is tight, so the funds raised for Harry and his family through this appeal will be used to put decking in their garden, lay Astroturf, and get some nice play equipment. Harry is still neutropenic and cannot go out (other than for hospital appointments), so it is important that he has a nice, safe outdoor area to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. The Astroturf will reduce his chances of getting an infection and some decking will make it more accessible for his wheelchair.

Hopefully, this will help Harry and his sisters create lots of new happy memories, instead of the horrible memories of hospitals, treatments and feeling ill.

“Looking through photos of the last few years is so  much harder than I imagined it would be. Harry’s been through so much and there is still no end in sight.”

Harry’s mum told us “We are so grateful for all the love and support we have received, all the kind messages keep us going. The kindness of others will stay with us for the rest of our lives.”