As some of you may already know, my amazing, brave and courageous 18 year old brother George has had it pretty rough the last few years.

 

It all started in 2020 when George injured his knee whilst playing football. After a few weeks of pain we decided to take him to a&e and our whole world was turned upside down from that day.

After an X-ray and some tests we were told that George had a 19cm osteosarcoma in his knee and needed chemotherapy and surgery or possible amputation of his lower leg.

We were then referred to the amazing doctors and nurses at the UCLH hospital in London aswell as the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

 

Fortunately due to the amazing work of his orthopaedic surgeon, they were able to save his leg with a tibia and knee replacement and the removal of the entire tumour. This resulted in George being wheelchair bound and learning to walk properly again. But as always he did this with complete determination and of course surpassed our expectations. At the age of just 16 at the time he had already been through more than many of us have in our lifetime. 

 

After completing all rounds of chemotherapy, we were then given the fantastic news that George was at this point ‘cancer free’ and could go back to living a normal life- which for George meant returning to the gym!! He was also able to find a job and was finally able to buy himself untold pairs of trainers!

 

Following the end of treatment and after a number of his routine scans we were then told that they had found some ‘conspicuous’ nodules on his lungs and wanted to keep a close eye on them.

 

Then unfortunately in December 2021 a few days before Christmas, we were given the heartbreaking news that the nodules were cancerous and that George needed to start yet more chemotherapy.

As always George took the news like an absolute hero and accepted it needed to be done.

 

Chemo has been really tough for George, from his entire mouth covered in ulcers to untold infections and endless hospital stays (with my amazing mum by his side everytime) yet he was still able to pass his theory test and driving test like the true fighter he is.

 

At the end of chemo the second time round we were given the good news that they were able to operate to cut the nodules out.

 

So that brings me to today- on the 30th June he was booked in for surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital and whilst operating the doctors found the cancer had unfortunately spread to other parts of his chest cavity aswell as his diaphragm which means we are back at square one.

At this stage the news is still very fresh, so we need to have a discussion about the next steps.

 

As you can imagine we as a family will do anything and everything we can to fight this awful disease and ensure George has everything he wants and needs whilst doing so. Whether that means paying for treatment abroad or going private.

Whatever it takes we’ll do it! He deserves to live a normal life like most other 18 year olds.

 

At this moment in time we have no idea what the next steps will be and what treatment he may need, but I feel that £5000 is a good start and can increase if necessary once we have more info- there’s no harm in getting a head-start! 

 

So if you could please spare whatever you can in a hope to kicking cancers arse yet again! George is made of strong stuff, I’m confident he can do it!

 

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

Jodie, Julie, Lucy, Lewis, Rob & family

Xxxx