An Edinburgh boy who was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer when he was just 11 days old has “beaten the odds” to start school.
Joey Sharp had only been home for a week when he was taken back into hospital in December 2020. He had been struggling to feed, was losing weight and suffering jaundice that was not improving.
The tiny newborn was rushed for life-saving brain surgery after doctors suspected a tumour. Samples taken during surgery later revealed he had glioblastoma – an aggressive brain cancer that usually affects adults.
Mum Sam and dad Steven were told to prepare for the worst as Joey underwent three more brain surgeries and nine rounds of chemotherapy before being given the all clear, reports the Daily Record.
His family say he is now a “happy and determined” five-year-old who “fills every room with laughter”.
The brave youngster, who lives with cerebral palsy and the lasting effects of his treatment, reached the milestone of starting school – a moment his parents once feared they might never see.
Joey participated in clinical trials in Scotland, undergoing additional blood tests which helped researchers better understand chemotherapy treatment in babies -Credit:braintumourresearch.org
Mum Sam said: “Watching Joey walk through those school gates was incredibly emotional, not just for our family but for the many doctors, nurses and therapists who have supported him since he was only 11 days old.”
“We were completely devastated when he was diagnosed. There was so much uncertainty and fear.
“We’d been preparing ourselves to hear that he would probably need more surgery after chemotherapy, so hearing those words was overwhelming. For the first time in months, we felt like we could finally breathe again.”
Joey was admitted to the Royal Hospital for Children in Edinburgh for intravenous antibiotics after medics noticed what looked like a tiny infection in one of his fingernails.
Within hours he’d had a CT and MRI scan, and his parents were told he needed emergency brain surgery that day, or he was unlikely to survive.
Sam said: “Our world had shattered. I had been making Christmas lists, buying presents and organising family fun.
“Suddenly, it all seemed hopeless. The days passed in a blur as we sat by his side in intensive care. Two days before Christmas, he had his second brain surgery but we still had a way to go with six months of intense chemotherapy.”
Joey’s parents were told to ‘prepare for the worst’ after doctors broke the devastating news in 2020 -Credit:braincancerresearch.org
The family say the courageous p1 pupil has come on leaps and bounds every year, while being encouraged by his sister, Carly, and brother, Robbie.
Brain cancer survival rates in kids have only improved by five per cent since 1997 and there has only been just one new treatment for childhood brain tumours approved since 2000, but investment into research is critically low.
Sam is supporting Brain Tumour Research’s calls for the government to up investment into research into the disease to £45 million a year by 2029. She is also running the Edinburgh Marathon next year to raise funds for the charity.
She added: “Whenever training gets difficult and I want to stop, I think about Joey and everything he has already overcome. His courage motivates me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
“More research means better treatments and, ultimately, more families getting the chance to watch their children grow up.”