Josh's Story

Josh has always loved school. He’s the kind of student who rarely misses a day, and if he ever agreed to stay home, it was a sure sign that something wasn’t right.

So, when he began feeling unwell in early February 2025—complaining of a sore throat and fluctuating temperature—it was concerning, though he insisted on continuing to attend school.

After about two weeks of on-and-off symptoms, I encouraged him to take a few days off to rest and recover. He returned to school briefly, but the sore throats persisted, and he began looking pale and increasingly tired.

Concerned, I booked a doctor’s appointment, suspecting perhaps glandular fever or anemia. The GP was very thorough and ordered a blood test to investigate further.

On the morning of February 24th, Josh had his blood drawn. Later that same evening, at 11 PM, we received a call from the out-of-hours doctor advising us to go immediately to the nearest hospital, where a team would be expecting us. They told me not to panic—just that something in his bloodwork needed urgent attention.

But I knew.

The late-night call, the urgency—I’d been here before. My brother had been diagnosed with leukemia at 24 following a similar call, and the feeling of déjà vu was overwhelming. Deep down, I feared we were about to hear the same devastating words.

Within an hour of arriving at the hospital, the doctors confirmed our worst fears: Josh had leukemia. We were told we would be transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital the following day for further tests and treatment.

We spent the next three weeks in Birmingham, where Josh began the induction phase of chemotherapy. Extensive testing revealed he had MPAL—Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia—a rare and more complex form of leukemia that shares characteristics of both ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) and AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). Because of this, it took some time for his medical team to decide on the most effective treatment path. They ultimately chose to begin the ALL protocol, and thankfully, Josh responded well to the initial treatment.

The first four months went as smoothly as we could have hoped. Josh experienced only a few short hospital stays for minor complications and even managed to convince his medical team to allow him to return to school for occasional lessons when he felt well enough.

However, the third block of treatment proved to be far more challenging.

Josh suffered serious reactions to two chemotherapy drugs during this phase, culminating in a seizure that led to a seven-week hospital stay. During that time, he experienced two additional seizures and was later diagnosed with pancreatitis, another side effect of the treatment. He was extremely unwell for several weeks, and it became clear that continuing with the same chemotherapy regimen was no longer a safe option.

At that point, our incredible consultant advocated tirelessly for Josh and secured funding for a new, targeted immunotherapy drug called Blinatumomab (Blina). This treatment is significantly gentler on the body and will give Josh much-needed time to heal while still actively fighting the leukemia.

We know the road ahead is still long—Josh will remain in treatment until April 2027—but he has shown incredible strength and resilience every step of the way. Throughout everything, the hardest part for him hasn’t been the treatment or the hospital stays, but missing school and the normalcy of daily life.

He’s now looking forward to returning for some lessons later this month—a goal that has kept his spirits high.

Josh truly is a star, facing each hurdle with courage and determination, and we remain hopeful and proud of the progress he’s made.

Thank you so much to BSF for allowing us this break in Bens beautiful lodge