Tributes have been paid to a Nottinghamshire boy, described as a 'ray of sunshine', who died of a rare form of cancer. Ted Neal passed away on April 9 aged 16 months.
He had been battling a cancerous tumour that was detected in one of his sinuses around a year ago - a form so rare that it didn't have a name until January this year. It came after parents Jessica, 35, and Lee Neal, 38, noticed his face had swollen on holiday.
Despite chemotherapy and surgery, the cancer sadly spread to his brain and down his spinal cord. Jessica described her son as a "ray of sunshine".
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"He was a joy. He was born amid the pandemic when everything seemed so scary and he brought sunshine into everyone's lives," said the product developer from Calverton.
"He was always smiling, always happy. He loved watching the Jungle Book and would sit and watch it and shout at the TV. He loved reading as well, he would sit and read with us for hours."
Following Ted's death, Jessica and Lee set up the Little Ted Foundation, a charity that provides financial support to families who have lost or are caring for a seriously ill child. This includes free stays in a caravan in Snowdonia, Wales.
"We had a break away at Clumber Park and at the time we didn't realise that it would be the last one with Ted," Jessica recalled. "The memories we have got are special to us and we want to provide that for other people. Unfortunately when you're in that position one parent or both will have given up their job so there will be a loss of income - so going away just isn't an option."
She says the charity, which also provides grants to parents, has supported 11 families so far and the caravan has been fully booked throughout the summer holidays. "It was difficult to start with but now it's really lovely to see the difference. For some kids it's the first time they have been away and seen the sea."
Jessica also urged other parents to "follow their instincts" if they think something is wrong with their child. “I’m so glad I trusted my instincts as I think we would have lost him sooner if I hadn’t. It gave us that eight months with him."
Ted's parents are holding a charity ball at the Goosedale in Papplewick on Saturday, September 24. Find out more about the charity here.
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