Children With Cancer Fund (Polegate) The Bon Bon, 5 Western Avenue Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6EP Tel: 01323 485314 Email: info@childrenwithcancerfund.co.uk Registered Charity No.1110644

Below is Samuel’s story which was sent to us by his dad, Dominic:


Samuel is every parents dream child, cheeky, funny, cuddly and the dirtiest laugh you have ever heard.

At the start of 2012 we spent a fantastic time in Tenerife. It was great fun building sandcastles on warm sandy beaches, paddling and swimming in the sea, or dining out at anyone one of the countless restaurants. While back at home, Samuel was excelling at swimming lessons and had recently progressed up to a new level.

On the 6th May, Hayley took Samuel to see a G.P. as she was worried about some pin-prick spots that had appeared on his body. He was rushed to the Royal Alexandra hospital, in an ambulance, as they suspected that he may have had a form of menigitis. It was a tense time for us while we waited for the results, but nothing prepared us for what the doctor had to say about them. When she said the word ’leukaemia’, it felt as though our whole world had come crashing down and that we would lose our gorgeous boy.

We arrived at the Royal Marsden, still in a state of shock, unable to comprehend what was going to happen, but found ourselves being constantly reassured by some brilliant staff in the childrens ward. From then on, they took charge of treatment, keeping us informed at every stage as to what was happening and answering any of our questions, no matter how trivial the may have seemed. Samuel seemed to take everything in his stride, by being his normal cheeky self. He would run up and down the corridors, giggling, talking loudly and making everyone laugh.

We discovered that there were two other leukaemia patients from Sussex, which were Maisie and Lilac. It was of great comfort to be able to talk to their parents about what they had gone through, as we were weeks behind them on the protocols.

When we arrived back home it felt as though everything had changed. Normal routines went out of the window, with the introduction hospital visits, home blood tests and the administering of medicines. With the help of family, friends and neighbours we managed to get through the first six months of intensive treatment.

It was also during the our first weeks at home that we had contact from the ’Children With Cancer Fund’, they sent us a voucher to help us buy some provisions, with a note from Chris also asked if there was anything else that we needed.

Written by Dominic (father of Samuel)