Joshua's story
“The Play team made a huge difference.”
“It was the weekend of the Queen’s Jubilee, and Joshua started to rub his eye,” remembers his dad, Chris. “At first, we thought he had a conjunctivitis so we got eyedrops from the chemist because it was a bank holiday and the doctors.
“A couple of weeks went by and it wasn’t going away. We went to the doctor and were referred to our local hospital, where the ophthalmologist thought something wasn’t right, and referred us on to Moorfields Eye Hospital. By the time we got there Joshua had a growth coming out from his eyelid that was getting bigger and bigger.”
Getting a diagnosis and starting treatment
Joshua had surgery to remove the growth, which went well. “Two days later the specialist called us and told us they were referring us to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) as the biopsy had showed cancerous cells,” says Chris. “Within a few days we were seen, and we met Dr. Matte Jorgensen. She told us that it was rhabdomyosarcoma – he’d need chemotherapy and then potentially proton beam radiotherapy.
“Dr. Jorgensen asked if we wanted to go home for the weekend before starting treatment or if we wanted to start straight away. We decided we wanted to start as soon as possible so Joshua literally started treatment that weekend.
“One of the things I remember, that first weekend, was Joshua counting the number of animals painted on the walls. We met so many nurses and specialists. We’d had weeks of uncertainty, but once we’ve got to GOSH, they were so reassuring. Our clinical nurse specialist, Helen, said to us ‘look, this is what we do – this is what we do every day.’ At that time, I think that’s really what we needed. The world was crumbling around us, but at least we knew what was going on and that made a huge difference.
“Joshua had three types of chemotherapy and we’d go to GOSH every three weeks. One of the chemotherapies needed to have fluids with it so every time he had that we would stay at GOSH. Normally only Joshua and his mom would stay, and I’d travel down each day.
“It wasn’t like going to a hospital”
“I don’t think Joshua knew there was anything wrong. Every time we visited GOSH, it wasn’t like we were going to hospital. We were just having a trip to GOSH.”
On every visit, the Play team would bring Joshua activities and games to choose from. “The Play team made a huge difference,” says Chris. “It meant me and my wife could have that five minutes to go to the kitchen and make a sandwich, or just have a moment together.
“It’s only small things and for only a small amount of time, but it makes a difference. You don’t want to cry in front of him, and you don’t want to speak about the more serious things in front of him. He was only three or four, but he hears everything. It made a huge difference to have someone who there who could come and play with him.”
Joshua had proton beam therapy at UCLH, working closely with GOSH, and also had treatment at the GOSH Sight and Sound Centre, where there was a garden for him to run around in.
Finishing treatment and helping with fundraising
Joshua rang his end-of-treatment bell in February 2023 and his scans the following May came back clear. “Joshua is doing great,” Chris says. “I don’t think anyone thought the treatment would go as well as it did.
By October that year, the family had signed up to join the GOSH Charity’s family fun run Race for the Kids.
“We always said we’d do whatever we could to help GOSH and the charities that helped Joshua,” explains Chris, who believes investment in care and research is vital. “If we’re not spending money on children’s cancer care, then it means we’re going backwards. It’s not only about research but also about whatever can be done to make places for families and kids going through it where they can feel safe and comfortable, and where kids can still be kids.”