An eight-year-old boy who was told he had cancer “just like mummy”, is celebrating beating the disease - just weeks before the first anniversary of her death. Brave Freddie Gittins was left heartbroken when his beloved mum Emma died of cancer on March 30 last year aged just 41.
Months later his dad noticed he was extremely tired and his skin had a yellow tinge so took him to the doctor who confirmed the family’s worst fears. Blood tests in July revealed Freddie had leukaemia and dad Jamie was given the horrific task of breaking the news to his son.
Jamie, 40, told Freddie he had cancer “just like mummy” and the youngster started months of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions. Just weeks before the first anniversary of Emma’s death, Freddie has been told he is now cancer-free.
Jamie, from Hereford, said: “Fred being leukaemia-free is amazing and once we get through this next treatment block, I will be able to relax a little bit. It’s been a horrible year, but the Easter holidays is when he gets his lines taken out and gets a little bit of independence and normality back.
“He’ll be able to shower himself again or go swimming, which he loves. Life is never going to be the same for us with everything we’ve gone through, but I’m looking forward to getting back to normality without all the stresses and worries we’ve had throughout the last year.”
The family's world was first turned upside down back in October 2017, when Emma, then 37, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The mum to Freddie and Noah, 11, got given the all-clear in August 2018 after having chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Jamie, a primary school headteacher, said: “We separated in 2018 but remained the best of friends, co-parenting the boys together. But a couple of years later, in February 2019, the cancer came back and this time it was terminal. We’ve always been very honest with the boys about Emma’s diagnosis. We explained to them that the cancer wouldn’t go away this time."
On March 30 last year, Emma, who worked in HR, passed away surrounded by friends and family in Hereford Hospital. Then, just three months later, Jamie noticed an alarming change in his younger son and asked doctors to see him. Jamie said: “Freddie would come home from school and put the telly on and within five minutes he’d be asleep on the sofa. He had no energy and I just put it down to the fact that it was coming up to the end of the school year and everything that had happened with his mum.
“But then he started to get a yellow tinge on his skin and his eyes. I rang 111 and they told me to get him to hospital immediately. At that moment I was given the news about Freddie, in my head I thought, that’s it, he’s going to die.
“I went outside and spoke to family and friends and just said ‘I can’t do this. I haven’t got the strength.’ And I just sat all night watching him while he was sleeping. The oncologist told me that if you’re going to get leukaemia, the type Fred’s got, it is the best one to get. The success rate is over 90 per cent for his age. It will be rough for a few months, but he will be OK. And at that point I was able to go, ‘OK, fine. I’ve just got to get on with this.’”
On July 14 last year, Freddie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), an aggressive cancer of the white blood cells. Only around 790 people are diagnosed in the UK each year with 75 per cent of patients being under 15 years old.
It causes symptoms of repeated infections, bone and joint pain, swollen glands, tummy pain and unusual bleeding. Changes in the skin include paleness, purple rash and easy bruising - and some patients, like Freddie, may have jaundice as a result of the cancer impairing liver function.
Throughout his treatment, Freddie took comfort from memory boxes his loving mum made for him and brother Noah months before she died. She even recorded her own voice in Build-A-Bear teddies for the boys and made badges with inspiring quotes written on them. Emma also wrote a blog - Boobs Behaving Badly - which detailed her journey with cancer. Jamie said: “We took the decision early after Emma’s terminal diagnosis that we weren’t going to hide anything from the boys which is what we’ve done throughout.
“But telling them she had died was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. As soon as Em had had her terminal diagnosis, I played that conversation over in my head a million times. It absolutely broke their hearts. All the family were there because I said I didn’t think I could do it on my own. It’s not something you ever want to have to do.
“The memory boxes are a massive help to them now. They include Build-A-Bear teddies with her voice recorded. They can squeeze the paw and listen to their mum. And keyrings with her thumb print on them so they can always hold her hand and some
Brave Boys’ Club badges with motivational messages engraved on the back saying ‘you’re brave, you’re kind, you’re strong’. “Emma’s brother and I also pulled together some photos and the boys chose their own items such as a candle which had a scent which reminded them of their mum, as well as pieces of jewellery.” The family have been helped by charity Molly Ollys Wishes which helps terminally ill kids achieve their dreams. The Warwickshire-based charity granted a special wish for Freddie and his brother Noah, 11, to receive VIP tickets to see WWE live wrestling.
He added: “Both the boys have always wanted to go to a live WWE show and they felt like VIPs. We were six rows back from the ring so everything was up close and personal and they got high fives from the wrestlers. It was an amazing experience.” Jamie, who is head of Kings Caple Primary School in Hereford, is hoping to raise £2,000 for the charity when he runs a half marathon on March 27.
