Buster's Story

"Hi, my name is Buster. In summer 2021, when I was just eight years old, I was diagnosed with a subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia called Philadelphia Positive. It’s quite rare in children but much more common in adults.

I didn’t even know that I was ill. I had a sore jaw and a weird fever one day. My doctor said I should take a blood test and the next morning an ambulance turned up at my house to whisk me off to hospital. I was taken to Great Ormond Street hospital to begin two years of treatment. It’s been a hard 18 months, with lots of hospital stays and a ground-breaking treatment called immunotherapy. I am one of the first children in the UK with Philadelphia Positive to undergo immunotherapy as my main treatment. All the doctors are very happy with the results and how well I’m doing, though some days I can still feel poorly.

I enjoy playing the PlayStation, watching movies, and going to football. I also like WWE wrestling and collecting Pokémon cards.

We’re so grateful for Ben’s Den. The brilliant charities and organisations helping people and families in our situation makes living with cancer a little bit easier.

Thanks so much for the wonderful weekend at Ben’s Den."