Ethan's Story

Our 17 year old son Ethan was a keen sportsman and particularly loved running. He was studying Sports Science at Weymouth college and his dream was to be a physiotherapist for the England Amputee Football team.

In spring 2023 Ethan signed up for the Bournemouth half marathon to be held in October that year, running in aid of MacMillan Cancer Care. In June whilst out running in preparation for the marathon he experienced some chest pain. We put it down to something muscular but when it happened again we knew something wasn’t quite right. Ethan was also getting intense headaches especially when he laid down and he had lost some weight.

We took Ethan to the doctor who referred him straight to Dorchester hospital for a chest xray and blood tests. At the hospital they gave Ethan a thorough physical exam and took bloods. He had a xray done and we were told straightaway that there was a mass in Ethan’s chest. They then did a CT scan and came to us and said ‘we think you have cancer’. We had no time to process what they were telling us. We were told it was extremely serious and they had to move fast.

Ethan was ambulanced straight to Southampton General Hospital the same day. A 12x18cm tumour was growing in his chest and was putting pressure on his heart. A biopsy the next day proved it was T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. We were told it was aggressive but potentially treatable.

Steroids were started immediately and chemo began just a week later. Ethan was treated on the Teenage Cancer Trust at Southampton. The hospital became our home and the nurses became like family. Ethan spent 8 weeks per cycle as an inpatient with just 2 weeks at home with scans and blood tests in between. Ethan never once complained, moaned or let anything get him down. His attitude and calmness kept us all grounded. We asked why he wasn’t getting upset or angry? His response ‘why waste my time? It’s not going to change anything’. He remained stoic throughout all the treatment and we were incredibly proud.

During Ethan’s treatment he raised an amazing £13,600 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. He was touched by the care and dedication of his nurses and youth workers that he wanted to give something back to say thank you.

A couple of days after Christmas 2023 Ethan was rushed back in to Dorchester hospital with chest pain. We were told his left lung was full of fluid and he was admitted into ICU with a chest drain. Once he was stabilised he was ambulanced from Dorchester back to the TCT ward at Southampton General Hospital.

On New Years Eve we were told the chemo wasn’t working as efficiently as it was and the cancer was metastasising to other areas. A new immunosuppressant treatment began and we were told Ethan’s only hope was a stem cell transplant but sadly the cancer was so aggressive and fast that in May 2024 we were told the devastating news that the transplant was no longer an option and there was nothing else they could do.

After a total of 245 days in hospital, Ethan came home and we spent 4 precious weeks together as a family of 6 again before we took him to Weldmar Hospicecare where he sadly passed away 5 days later on 8th June 2024 aged just 18.

Ethan’s bravery and positive attitude is something we’ve all learned from. His inspiration is a legacy he’s left us and we will continue fundraising in Ethan’s name.

Thank you to the Ben Saunders Foundation for giving us the opportunity of some much needed quality family time away. Ethan’s left an incredibly large void that will never be filled and he will never be forgotten.