CARERS have come together to support one of their colleagues whose five-year-old son, Jack, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma Cancer.
The community care team at Brunelcare, based in Bristol, has been donating funds to ‘Jack’s Journey’ to raise money so he can have life prolonging treatment in America.
Jack's Go Fund Me page, set up by his Mum, Sarah, has already raised a huge £93,000 in a few months, meaning Jack could be well on the way to receive his life-prolonging treatment.
Sarah, a community carer who has worked at Brunelcare for over a decade, has thanked the organisation for contributing funds for their son and grandson, and for all the support the charity has offered during Sarah’s hospital stays.
Sarah said: “It was the middle of January 2024 and I noticed Jack was limping when I picked him up from school. I took him to the doctor twice and was told it was likely to be a viral infection irritating the hip and it should get better.
“By the end of January his pain had gotten worse so I took him to A&E two days in the row. On the second visit he had a blood test, then we were sent to Bristol Children’s Hospital, for tests and scans. Sadly on February 1, 2024, we had an MRI scan that found a tumour above his right kidney.
“Jack then had a biopsy of the tumour and on February 15, Jack was diagnosed with stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma Cancer. We were devastated.”
Sarah has been visiting the hospital weekly so Jack can receive rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Soon, Jack will have surgery to remove the tumour and will also need a stem cell transplant, totalling 18-months of treatment.
If Jack’s NHS treatment is successful, he currently has a 40-50% chance of survival, however if he relapses, that figure will decrease to just 5%. Sarah is hoping to raise £250,000 for maintenance treatment that is not available in the UK. This treatment lowers the possibility of a relapse occurring and gives Jack a better chance of survival if it did return. The money raised will be used for the treatment itself, alongside multiple costs for trips to America over a two to three-year period.
Sarah said: “The weekend Jack was diagnosed I was meant to be working, my team leader, Maureen, was extremely supportive and said not to worry about a thing; she told me ‘we’ve got it covered’ and it was music to my ears. The Somerset operations manager also said ‘that she will of course keep my job open for me when I return.’ I still work at Brunelcare when I can but they understand my situation and have been so, so supportive and I know I have job security.”
Mandy Curran, Brunelcare operations manager, said: “We are wishing Jack the most speedy recovery there is and our Somerset Team are coming together to be there for Sarah and Jack.
“We have all been contributing to his Go Fund Me Page and staff have been attending some of the many fundraising events that have taken place. We are supportive of the fact that Sarah has other priorities right now. She’s a fantastic carer to our wonderful clients and is a very valued member of the team and we can’t wait to have her back when she’s ready.”
Jack said: “I hope I get well soon. I miss going to school and playing with my friends.”
To donate to Jack’s Journey, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/d6424-help-for-jack