Bobby's Story

Bobby was a very active healthy 15 year old boy, playing for his school football team and a local team on a Sunday. We loved nothing more then Cheering him on in all types of weather watching him play his favourite sport.

All of January 2025 Bobby had a persistent cough and kept becoming breathless and was really struggling so the Doctors prescribed a course of antibiotics for a chest infection, first course didn’t make a difference so a second lot was prescribed and still not much change. He was still managing to go to school but just wasn’t right at all.

The third time I took him to the Doctors I insisted they did a chest xray or bloods as by now to me he seems to be loosing weight quite rapidly and he seemed like his colour was off, very pale and grey. So fast forward to the results of the xray from the walk in clinic, we got a call that night to get him straight to hospital as he has a plural effusion and needed stronger iv antibiotics.

So we were admitted and they wanted to run some Bloods and do an ultra sound to gage how much fluid was in his left lung. We were just grateful that the xray had picked it up and now he will be treated properly and hopefully start feeling better soon but the information that came next put the fear of god into us.

We were told the ultrasound had picked up a mass in his left chest wall that needed more tests so they transferred us to Southampton to the specialist thoracic team and oncologist. We were booked in for a Biopsy of the bone marrow, the mass itself and whilst he was under general anaesthetic they also placed a PICC line in his arm. We had a two week wait for the results which came back as Ewing Sarcoma cancer. It was such a shock and we felt very daunted by the journey that was about to commence.

Within a week of being diagnosed Bobby started his first round of chemotherapy, the journey had begun and the hospital felt like our second home and nurses out every week of his picc line we were just all on autopilot and still in a bit of shock.

Bobbys treatment was 9 rounds of VDC / IE Chemo, he then had a big operation to remove the tumour, 3 ribs and part of his diaphragm and had his chest wall and side reconstructed followed by a further 5 rounds of chemotherapy plus 6 weeks of Proton beam radiotherapy.

We were up and down to Southampton, the royal Brompton and the Marsden hospital in London an stayed in Camden Town in London when he had his proton beam radiotherapy at the UCLH which was a lot for Bobby but as with all his treatment he faced it with a lot of strength and courage and just got on with it.

Had additional hospital admissions witH RSV infections along the way which he needed help with oxygen and many bloody transfusions and iron. We just watched in awe of his strength but was so awful seeing him so poorly. He sadly missed his GCSE’s as was too poorly but his consultant kept his prom date free so he could attend with his girlfriend which we watched on with such pride as he rocked the no hair and suit look.

Treatment was such an intense regime due to it being an aggressive cancer so we feel like we haven’t had any time to breathe and lead any sort of normality. Bobbys siblings and family have been amazing throughout such uncertain times and we have all muddled through together.

We have had the news from his most recent scan last month that there is no evidence of cancer and have been told to live life as normal as possible and continue his recovery until his next follow up in June, we feel a little lost and in limbo land at the moment so we are so grateful to be able to have our first break away as a family to make some new memories together.

Not sure what the future holds for
Bobby, hope he can start college and go back to being a normal teenage boy and get back on the footy pitch at some point in the future, but for now we’re grateful to have him and to be able to have a lovely weekend together.

Huge thank you for having us stay this weekend 💕