In January 2025, our happy two-year-old boy, John, was playing with his dad when he bumped his tummy against his dad’s back. It was a harmless knock, but John became very upset and was sick a little while later.
We didn’t think much of it, assuming it was because he had just eaten. However, a couple of days later, we noticed his tummy looked swollen. When the swelling was still there the following day, we brought him to our GP to get checked.
Our GP immediately referred us to A&E in Tralee, as John needed an ultrasound to determine the cause of the swelling. Unfortunately, a large mass was discovered in his abdomen, and before we knew it, we were in an ambulance on our way to Crumlin.
After several scans and biopsies, we received the devastating news that our little boy had stage 3 cancer – Rhabdomyosarcoma.
Our consultant explained that the tumour had likely been growing for a long time, and the way John had bumped his tummy had disturbed it, causing the swelling to finally appear as a symptom. Exactly one week after our GP visit, John began chemotherapy—a whirlwind week we will never forget.
John continued his treatment in the St John’s Ward at Crumlin, and in April we received a much-needed boost when his baby sister, Daisy, arrived.
On May 9th, John underwent surgery to remove the tumour and it was a success. However, because the cancer cells were aggressive, it was decided that John would need a specialised form of radiotherapy called Proton Beam Therapy. Since this treatment isn’t available in Ireland, we will need to travel to Manchester.
John from the Gavin Glynn Foundation was in touch with us immediately to help coordinate the travel which we are incredibly grateful for. We hadn’t expected to travel abroad for treatment, so it was an overwhelming time but John took all the stress of planning off our shoulders. He and Jayne arranged flights, taxis, ferries, accommodation, and covered expenses for both our initial planning trip and our five-week stay for John’s treatment, which begins on July 7th.
We are blown away by the generosity of The Gavin Glynn Foundation and cannot thank them enough for the incredible support they’ve given us during such a difficult time. We remain hopeful that John’s treatment will go well and that his scans at the end of August will bring the positive results we are so desperately hoping for.
We’d urge other parents to never hesitate to take your child to the GP or local hospital if you notice something unusual or feel something isn’t quite right.
Always trust your instincts.