On 15th November 2025, I took my 12-year-old son, Caiden, to A&E after being advised by NHS 111 because he had been vomiting all day and they needed to check for dehydration. This wasn’t the first time Caiden had been unwell — he had been vomiting for months and suffering from regular headaches. Despite multiple visits to the GP and Specsavers, we were repeatedly reassured and sent away with explanations such as puberty or acid reflux.

That visit to A&E changed our lives forever.

Caiden was diagnosed with a Grade 4 brain tumour and was transferred to another hospital the same day, where we were told he had brain cancer — medulloblastoma, which had already spread down his spine. On 20th November, Caiden underwent 12 hours of brain surgery to remove the tumour.

Caiden will soon begin further treatment, including daily proton therapy at a hospital 1.5 hours away from our home. His biggest worry isn’t the treatment itself — it’s being separated from his siblings. Caiden is the oldest of six children, and he has always been the rock for his younger siblings, several of whom have additional needs, including chromosome abnormalities and non-verbal autism. Being apart from them has been incredibly hard on him, and on all of us as a family.

Caiden has already spent four weeks in hospital away from his brothers and sisters, and the thought of being separated for another seven weeks during treatment is heartbreaking. We are doing everything we can to keep our family together, because this affects all of us, not just Caiden. Financially, travelling back and forth and trying to get five children to see him regularly during his treatment will be a huge struggle.

After spending weeks in hospital, Caiden has also struggled with boredom. Many hospital playrooms are designed for much younger children, and although he is 12, he is often placed with children far younger than himself. I would love to be able to get him a Nintendo Switch 2 and some games to help keep his spirits up during long hospital days and give him some comfort and distraction while he fights this battle.

Any support, whether through donations or sharing our story, would mean more than words can express. Thank you for helping us stay together as a family during the hardest time of our lives.