This Christmas marks a joyful milestone for 7- year-old Freddie and his family, as they celebrate the end of his three years of cancer treatment.
Freddie was just four when he was diagnosed with leukaemia in April 2022. “We had already been through a very tough time as a family” said Freddie’s dad, Francis Gilbert, 45, from Kingston upon Thames.
“I had just lost both my parents and had not been able to see either of them due to Covid lockdowns. We had decided we needed a fresh start, we’d just moved house and then we booked a holiday to Thailand for a bit of a break.”
It was during that holiday that usually energetic Freddie developed a sickness bug and began struggling to walk. Back home, his parents took him to the doctor who immediately booked him for a blood test. The results revealed the devastating news that Freddie had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).
ALL is the most common form of childhood cancer, often diagnosed in children between the ages of 2-5. It is an aggressive type of leukaemia that can progress very quickly and requires urgent treatment.
“It was the worst day of our lives,” said Francis. “I didn’t know how to react. I couldn’t cry, I just lost my words. My wife Lizzie burst into tears. I wondered if it was one of those dreams where I could force myself to wake up and everything would be OK.”
Freddie was transferred to the Royal Marsden Hospital and began chemotherapy immediately. “He was so brave but the side effects, especially the sickness, were awful,” Francis recalled.
“Freddie found it difficult to take pills, so we trained him by getting him to swallow Tic Tacs and then Nerds sweets, which he loved. We were also warned he’d lose his hair, so both my wife and I also decided to shave ours at the same time, so we were all going through it together.”
This summer, Freddie completed his final dose of chemotherapy and on the 9th July he rang the bell at the Royal Marsden, surrounded by his care team and family. “It was emotional,” said Francis. “We were tired, relieved, and so proud. Despite spending nearly 40% of his young life in treatment, he continued to attend school, make friends and show so much strength. Freddie is a fighter.”
For the last three years, Christmases for Freddie and his family have been filled with uncertainty and hospital visits.
“Last year was brutal,” said Francis. “He was in before Christmas, after, then on his Birthday and New Year’s, each a single visit. We tried to make it special and take him out for a meal and ice skating, but he was in such a bad way he couldn’t enjoy it.”
However, this year promises to be different. “We’re so grateful to be able to celebrate the end of Freddie’s treatment this year, he deserves a holiday without hospital stays!” said Francis. “Having him at home, watching his appetite return and seeing him happy and healthy is the very best gift we could ask for.”
“We’re so grateful Freddie is well but the treatment he went through to get to this point was brutal. The side effects on children and their little bodies are so tough. One day, I hope no child remembers their treatment, just their recovery, and I’m so pleased that there is ongoing research into less harsh treatments for leukaemia.”
Better, kinder treatments for children like Freddie are possible with life-changing research. This Christmas, Leukaemia UK is fundraising to help find new treatment options for ALL.
