Josh 's Story

In September 2024, our 19-year-old son Josh told us he had found a lump he’d been keeping to himself for three months. We took him straight to hospital, and by the Thursday he had surgery to remove the lump and his testicle. Three weeks later, we were given the devastating news that Josh had been diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

At first, we were told it looked very aggressive, but further tests showed it wasn’t quite as severe as feared. Josh was given the choice of treatment in Cambridge or London, and on the advice of his nurse we chose UCLH in London.

In November, he underwent further surgery before starting nine rounds of intensive chemotherapy, alongside 4½ weeks of proton beam therapy. This treatment took a huge toll on him, making him very unwell and leading to five hospital admissions in just three months. For us as a family, travelling back and forth to London while supporting him through it all was incredibly tough.

Josh is now on at least a year of maintenance chemotherapy tablets. After everything he has been through, we are so grateful for the chance to take a short break together and spend time as a family in such a beautiful lodge. Thank you to everyone at BSF