Jesse's Story

Jesse was only just 6 years old when he was diagnosed with leukaemia ALL. He started with leg pain which I thought was growing pains but then he just couldn’t walk !

Jesse is one of four and mine have never been sickly kids they seem to be tough, but he got to the stage when it had gone on for too long about 2weeks of him crying in pain.

I booked a doctors appointment for him to see what was going on. The doctor checked Jesse out and said it could possibly be his hips but I wasn’t sure. They said they would refer him to the hospital and see if he could have some physio and in the mean time could I get bloods done at the hospital.

The physio appointment came for the next week so I booked the bloods for the same day.

In this time Jesse still couldn’t really put any weight on his legs and it came to him falling at school so I told him to A&E.

They looked at him and sent us home with the doctor saying it was viral and sometimes it affected the legs.

I was happy but we left, the next day I had a registrar call me and ask if I could take Jesse in to see them. At this point, I just started to worry, but I took him in and they had another look at him. We went home and then it was past dinner time and I had a phone call from them saying we’ve looked at Jesse‘s and then we done further bloods, they needed us to come back in and they wanted to talk to me I said could I come in the morning because it was quite late then I said no, I need to come up now.

You can imagine what I was thinking but I didn’t think for one minute they were going to say it that Jesse had leukaemia.

They told me bring a bag because I think we’re gonna to keep him in tonight for observation which they did.

I went to the parent room with the doctor and that’s when she told me Jesse‘s diagnosis and that he was going to go to Southampton in the morning for a bone marrow lumbar puncture to see what was wrong.

We had to wait a few days for the results, but then it was confirmed that Jesse had leukaemia ALL and then that’s when our almost four-year journey started.

Jesse responded really well to treatment, and to be honest he took everything so well, considering he was only six. He was very poorly, obviously with lots of chemo with all the back and forwards from Southampton and Chichester, we also had the nurses come out to us every couple of days at home and it just became all normal which wasn’t normal at all.

Then after a couple of months, Jesse actually got a sepsis while he was on treatment. Literally he had a septic shower and I nearly lost him that day. I had to rush him into hospital. By the time I got there he was bright red and I’ve never seen so many doctors and nurses around him at that point.

They called Southampton and he was blue lighted across that night and spent four weeks in the intensive the care unit. He was put on the dialysis machine his kidneys had failed. It was the worst time in my life watching my little boy so poorly and I couldn’t do nothing about it.

We was then able to come home and Jesse had to start his treatment again, then we was home two weeks and then everyone went into lockdown, so it was just one nightmare on top of another to be honest.

Jesse then went on to continue his treatment, and now is in remission and has been for the last eight months which is amazing. He still not quite there. He’s still got his leg pains still uses a wheelchair but we’re working on it.

Jesse is an amazing little boy who has overcome more than I could ever have dreamed of. He’s my little superstar, and I’m just so proud of him.

Huge thank you to the Ben Saunders Foundation for this wonderful opportunity to spend time as a family.