Monty Patterson, a brave five-year-old undergoing treatment for leukaemia, had his dream come true when he became a firefighter for a day, thanks to charity Make-A-Wish UK and the dedicated London Fire Brigade’s Blue Watch at Whitechapel Fire Station.
image001.jpg
Monty, whose love for firefighting was sparked by his favourite TV character, Fireman Sam, faced the challenges of childhood cancer with courage and resilience. When asked what he wanted most as his wish, the answer was simple: to be a firefighter.
The leukaemia diagnosis came as a shock to Monty’s family. After noticing lumps on the side of his neck in 2021, Monty’s parents, Jodie and Giles, searched for answer for four months before getting a diagnosis. “It took a long time for it to be traceable in his blood, even though the lymph nodes in his neck were swollen. Waiting was long and tough” Jodie explained.
Having been diagnosed at such a young age, leukaemia has dominated Monty’s early childhood. “He’s in clear discomfort a lot of the time. He’s never known any different, with the leukaemia and its ongoing treatment side effects he’s always felt like this,” said Jodie. Despite the difficult journey, Monty has shown incredible strength, continuing to attend school while managing frequent hospital visits for routine treatment as well as multiple hospital stays due to infections and complications from his condition.
When Mum and Dad heard about Make-A-Wish UK and found out that Monty may be eligible, they contacted his medical team who sent a referral over to the charity. The family were then contacted by the Make-A-Wish referral team. “When we had the call to talk about his wish, being a firefighter was all Monty considered!” said Mum.
“As more details about his wish came through it sounded better each time!” On the days leading up to the wish, Monty and his sisters, Halle, aged 3, and Penelope, aged 1, were sent firefighter-themed gifts from Make-A-Wish, building their excitement in the build-up to the big day.
The firefighting-filled experience started as soon as Mum, Dad, Monty, and his sisters arrived at Whitechapel Fire Station in London, with the family getting a VIP tour of the station. Most importantly, Monty was fitted with his very own PPE firefighting suit- guarding him against the ‘fire’ he was soon called to tackle! As Mum told us, “He got to put out a fire with a hose and they acted out the scenario for him- he was over the moon!”
London Fire Brigade Firefighter Chris Cox commented “We arranged for his fire gear to be hung on his peg in the gear room next to mine. I was so pleased it was a perfect fit for him and his face lit up when he put it on. It was amazing to see that it really made him feel part of the team.”
From the moment Monty arrived, he was treated like a true firefighter. “The highlight for me was watching them fully involve him, in all aspects of a ‘call out to a real fire’ making him genuinely feel like a firefighter,” said Jodie.
“Monty was introduced to the watch in the watch room – it was obvious to see how excited he was to be at our fire station.” Said Firefighter Chris Cox. “We then went to do our roll call – just like taking the register at school. Monty stood next to me and copied our actions as if he had been doing it for years.”
Monty donned his own firefighting suit, put out a fire with a hose, and took part in a thrilling rescue mission where he helped ‘save’ someone trapped in a car. The day culminated in a special water rescue, where Monty threw rescue lines to crew members who had ‘fallen’ into the water.
Chris Cox went on to say: “Whitechapel Blue Watch were privileged to host Monty and his family for a day, and I am thrilled to say that the day was a great success. Monty is a natural – a true firefighter in the making!
“I’ve always been a big fan of Make-a-Wish UK. It’s a very special charity, making the dreams of children and young people, that have been dealt a rough hand in life, come true. Of course, the charity can’t do this alone, and I believe that it’s up to anyone that can help to do so.”
Monty’s wish was posted on the Make-A-Wish UK’s wish list – a place where the charity publishes items and support they urgently need to help grant a child’s wish.
“I was very keen to find out some more information. I contacted the charity and it went from there.” Said Chris.
“The main aim of the day was to make sure it would be a day Monty would never forget and I think we may have managed to pull that off?
“It was an absolute honour to be able to make Monty’s wish come true, it’s a day that I know all of us at Whitechapel fire station will remember, just as I hope Monty does!”
For more information about Make-A-Wish UK visit https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk/
