This is Alex’s reality.

A nine-year-old little boy that less than three months ago was in front of 580 guests celebrating beating cancer was diagnosed with Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia — a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that requires intensive treatment, close monitoring and full-time care. A diagnosis that first entered his life in March 2022 and one that returned again on Christmas Eve 2025 with the words no family ever wants to hear: disease relapse.

Since that moment, Alex’s world — and his family’s — has revolved around hospital walls, emergency admissions, fevers that can strike without warning and the constant need for supportive care. Regular inpatient stays. Endless outpatient appointments. A life lived on alert, never knowing when the next urgent call will come.

Because of the nature of his diagnosis, the treatment and the side effects that come with it, Alex does not get the luxury of normality. He requires full-time care. And because of that, his family must always be available — ready to drop everything to attend to his health needs as and when they arise.

This is what childhood cancer really looks like.

It is not just a medical journey. It is emotional exhaustion. Financial strain. Time away from work. Time away from siblings. Time away from anything that once felt predictable. It is parents doing everything they can to be strong while living in constant uncertainty. It is a child being asked to show bravery far beyond his years cumulatively.

And yet, through it all, Alex continues. His family continues. They show up, day after day, navigating a system they never asked to be part of — holding onto hope, even when the road feels impossibly heavy.

This is why support matters. This is why community matters. Because no family should have to face this alone.