On July 12th, everything that once felt stable and safe suddenly disappeared. Just a day before, Albert only had a fever and sore throat - we thought it was a simple infection. Hours later, his body began to fail, and we heard the words that shattered our world: Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (pre-B ALL) - an aggressive blood cancer.
That conversation with the doctor felt like a blur. We were in such shock that we barely understood her words, tears streaming down our faces. When she asked whether we wanted to tell Albert or if she should, we asked her to do it. He cried - and he hadn’t cried in a while, because he’s a teenager now. That moment broke our hearts all over again.
Albert is only 15. Instead of enjoying his summer or going back to school, he found himself in a hospital room, surrounded by IV lines, machines and endless treatments: chemotherapy, steroids, immunotherapies, countless antibiotics, and blood transfusions. Overnight, his carefree youth turned into an endless fight for survival.
Chemotherapy damaged the nerves in Albert’s left leg, leaving him struggling to move and starting rehabilitation much earlier than anyone expected. Around the same time, he was struck by a severe MRSA infection - a bacteria resistant to most antibiotics -which required surgery on his leg and long weeks of pain and recovery. When the same bacteria infected his PICC line, doctors had to remove it, and weeks later he underwent another surgery under general anaesthesia to insert a Hickman line.
And just when we thought things were stabilizing, a fungal infection spread to his lungs. The pain in his chest and constant fever lasted for weeks, while heavy antifungal and antibiotic treatments left his body weak and exhausted and damaged his kidneys.
As if that wasn’t enough, chemotherapy left him with other painful side effects - a “floppy” foot, trembling hands, weakness and fatigue — all meaning months of rehabilitation still ahead. And the treatment isn’t over yet - in fact, it is only the beginning.
Albert has endured more in these months than many adults face in a lifetime. There are days he cries out of helplessness, and we cry with him - though we try to stay strong when he looks at us. Sometimes, through tears, he asks:
“Why did this happen to me? Did I do something wrong? Is this my punishment?” His words pierced our hearts like a knife, leaving us unable to respond as tears burned in our eyes and a tightness in our throats stole our voices.
The hardest moment came when, drained by relentless vomiting and unable to take his medications, Albert whispered that the only pill he truly wished he could take was one that would stop his heart – so that he wouldn’t have to go through this anymore. In those moments, we fight with every part of ourselves to give him hope, to show him that he is not alone, and that he has people around him who believe he will return to health, to normalcy, and to the joy of living.
On top of the pain and fear, the financial burden is overwhelming – endless hospital trips, having to give up work to stay at his side, medications, rehabilitation, adapting our home to his mobility issues, trying to give Albert even small moments of joy in the middle of all this. We cannot do it alone.
Your support keeps us standing on the hardest days. You help Albert believe that this fight will be won - that he will walk out of the hospital, free from pain, and ready to live again.
We used to see stories like this online and even watched friends’ families go through the same unbearable pain. We felt for them deeply but never imagined we’d become one of those stories ourselves. Nothing prepares you for the moment when tragedy stops being someone else’s and becomes your own.
From the bottom of our hearts - thank you for standing with us.
With love Julia & Darek - Albert’s parents ❤️
We are Julia and Darek, Albert’s parents, and we live in Oxfordshire. We are raising funds to support Albert, our 15-year-old son, who is battling Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (pre-B ALL). All funds raised will go directly toward covering Albert’s medical expenses, including hospital trips, medications, rehabilitation, specialized diet, and adapting our home to support his mobility. Your support will also help us provide him with small comforts and moments of joy during this incredibly difficult journey.